


A Girls Weekend

by SSA_SarahSunshine



Series: The Life of Kassidy Hughes [3]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Best Friends, F/M, Fluff, but its okay because it will be fluff again, girls night, idk how else to tag this, then agnst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29770908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SSA_SarahSunshine/pseuds/SSA_SarahSunshine
Summary: It wasn't common where the team had a case with an almost perfect ending, so to celebrate they get a four-day weekend. The party starts with a famed girls' night, and it's all fun and games until old wounds and past traumas are brought up. Feelings are forced into perspective, relationships are tested, and by Monday the whole team needs a vacation from their vacation.---A fic that I started to be something fluffy and fun between Piper and Kassidy, but ended up being well over 15k words (and is still in the works), that included some angst. Because honestly, how can you all expect me not to bring angst into anything I create?
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Kassidy Hughes, Aaron Hotchner/Original Female Character(s), Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s), Spencer Reid/Piper Bishop
Series: The Life of Kassidy Hughes [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179065
Comments: 13
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dralexreid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Blonde, Meet Brunette](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29684178) by [dralexreid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid). 



> Oh hey, you ever plan to write maybe 2k words of the girls out and about, partying for the night? Make it fun and fluffy? And then it's over 15k words later and there's ANGST? Yeah, that's what happened here. How many chapters will this be? No clue.
> 
> Shout-out to @dralexreid for working on this piece with me! She helped edit, add to, and all together collaborated on it with me so far. It's been SUPER fun, and I hope we continue to do stuff like this in the future <3
> 
> TW: Um, there's some drunken shenanigans, Piper talks about her past traumas eventually, and then there will be a part where Kassidy talks about hers. Nothing too horrible, I promise. I'll TW the chapters if I find something that might be triggering.
> 
> ~~~

The case had ended relatively well, all things considered. Lives were saved, the bad guy was caught, and nobody had to take a trip to the ER. As far as the team was concerned, the three-day-long endeavor being over was a cause for a celebratory long weekend off. (Double especially because  _ Spencer _ avoided a trip to the ER, even after his little stunt with taking off his kevlar- again, much to Piper’s dismay). 

Hotch didn’t give Strauss the option to say otherwise. He was halfway out the door when she tried to stop him, but he just waved his hand and told her, “See you on Monday.” Followed closely by a chuckling Derek (who shot “finger guns” at Piper, reminding her about the game they had on Saturday, receiving a quick retort about his inability to swing at her pitches), and then JJ, excited to get home to her family. 

With the prospects of a four-day weekend, the remaining girls instantly knew what their plans were about to entail. Penelope was all but bouncing up and down on her feet, her hands clasped together, “Girls night! And sleepover!” she announced to the group, making Piper hang her head. Girls’ nights were always far too messy, and her patience was almost always wearing thin by the end of the night. Kassidy gave Piper an apologetic smile, thinking back on the last night out they had as a team. Penelope could drink like there was no tomorrow.

“Who’s hosting the sleepover?” She asked warily, wondering whose house was going to end up an absolute disaster by tomorrow morning, tapping and organizing her files neatly on her desk. She didn’t want a mess to be waiting for her on Monday. Penelope grinned, “You are.”

Kassidy faltered a little, her fingers ghosting over some paperwork she had been straightening, “What?” She looked up at the other girls, her eyebrows furrowed, “Why me? I don’t really have a lot of room-”

“But you don’t have any clingy roommates,” Piper pointed out, her eyes flitting over to land on Spencer as he packed his bag, “who might get annoyed at our choice of music,” she grinned at that. Piper’s music choice was often a topic of argument between her and Spencer. She was more than happy to help him out with his recent dabbling in keyboard, but the boy’s taste in music was abysmal, resulting in fights about ‘cultural elitism’. Derek and Emily were always quick to egg them on. Kassidy found it hilarious, though she would never admit it, but she did agree that she’d rather not have to deal with the lovers bickering all night about music. 

“Yeah, and my place isn’t that homey,” Emily nodded, the slightest smirk playing on her lips. “And plus, it’s boring.”

Kassidy looked to Penelope again, frowning, “Why not your place?”

“Because that’s where we always end up, and I wanna switch things up a bit,” she explained with a shrug, “Plus, I need some Cookie cuddles.” Ah, Kassidy should have known that Penny had an ulterior motive. 

“Cookie cuddles?” Piper arched an eyebrow, mouthing something to herself as if trying to figure out what Penelope was going on about. After a second she spoke up, “Pen, have you started to drink on the job because we might need an intervention at this point.”  _ Cookies and cuddles made sense. And a drunk Penelope would suggest cuddling up with a cookie.  _

“Her cat,” Emily offered as an explanation, holding in a laugh. “Sergio’s new girlfriend. She adopted her last week-”

“You didn’t tell me!” Piper whisper yelled, her eyes wide, feigning hurt as she slapped Kassidy’s shoulder playfully. “You got a cat, and you didn’t tell me!”

Kassidy hid a nervous laugh, “It kind of just, happened? You’ll see her tonight though, so um, surprise?”

Piper crossed her arms in disbelief. She didn’t like being kept in the dark, and Kassidy knew that. Of course, she knew that- she was suddenly not sure how she went a whole week without saying anything until this point. “How does a cat just happen?” Piper asked.

Emily chuckled, throwing a few things into her bag, “We went out last weekend, and I dragged her to the shelter. We were only there to look at the kittens, but one thing led to another, and I helped her buy a litter box and some toys on the way back to her place. Thank goodness her landlord allows cats.”

Kassidy shrugged, “She was so cute, and so lonely. I wanted to give her a nice home.”

Piper smiled, shaking her head, “Of course, Kass.”

Penelope giggled, adjusting her flamboyant purse on her shoulder, “Meet you girls at the bar in two hours!” And before anymore arguing could be done, she was off to the elevator.

“She always does this,” Piper sighed, shaking her head. “Why do I get roped into this?”

“Because you  _ looove _ us,” Emily mocked, grinning widely. Kassidy rolled her eyes, going back to her paper-straightening.

“I hate you both,” Piper retorted, knocking arms with Emily as she shouldered her bag anyway. Obviously, they were too cool for handshakes or fist-bumps. 

Kassidy sighed, finally happy with how her desk looked, and gripping the strap of her bookbag. With a knowing smile, Piper perched herself on the corner of her desk, “That’s cool though, that you got a new cat. Can’t wait to meet her.”

“Yeah,” Kassidy replied, not quite looking up. 

Piper was always best at reading her, tilting her head a little. But that might have just been her skill with people. Picking up on the tiniest of tells. Although, Kassidy thought that would mean she would be better at poker. “But uh, we don’t have to go to your place tonight, if you don’t want to. We can always skip the sleepover part. And the bar too. I know how to dislocate my wrist if needed,” Piper offered with a smile that was meant to be reassuring. But all it did was completely freak Kassidy out, her eyes growing wide, “I’m sorry, you know how to what?”

Piper laughed, but her laugh faded quickly at the look on Kassidy’s face, “Hey, it’s so I can escape handcuffs if I need to-”

“Why would you need to do that?” Kassidy’s voice was raised an octave, her hand waving around to accentuate her words, “When on earth did you decide, ‘yep, today I’m going to teach myself how to dislocate my wrist!’” Emily laughed, pushing her hair from her face, “I’m surprised you’re only now learning that she can do that,” she said, “I can too. And I’m pretty sure Morgan knows how to dislocate his shoulder if he needs to-”

“Why would any of you willingly do that?” She rubbed the bridge of her nose between two fingers, listening to Piper and Emily laughing at her, “Jesus, I work with neanderthals.”

After a beat she sighed, “No, I don’t require you to dislocate anything,” she started rubbing her fingers on a well-worn part of her bookbag’s strap, “I just, well, I’m not really prepared for visitors. My apartment is kind of a mess,” she admitted, thinking about her research papers everywhere. She had been trying to apply for a scholarship so she could go back to school part-time, but it was proving difficult when the team kept getting called out every single day. She was already looking forward to spending one of these days off to get her papers organized.

Piper nodded in understanding. “Look, it’s up to your comfort level. I’d take us to my place but Emily would probably spill vodka into Terry and I have spent too many months cultivating him for that kind of stuff-up.”

“Terry?” Kassidy frowned. She knew Piper was involved in experiments every now and then, but she couldn’t be growing a human, could she? And honestly, what kind of name was Terry?

“My ivy, blondie,” Piper chuckled, using her finger to push at Kassidy’s forehead. She smiled a little, swatting Piper’s hand away, “Ah.” Right. Piper named all of her plants.

“Okay, Derek pushed me!” Emily protested.

“You killed Sophia!” Piper retorted, raising her voice. “My brother gave her to me.”

“Okay, I am not getting into this with you again. I’ll see you at the bar?”

“I guess,” Piper said miserably, turning back to Kassidy. “Anyway, we  _ could _ stay at my place, but  _ someone _ doesn’t understand that books go on shelves, not on counters or couches,” Piper said pointedly, glaring a hole in the back of Spencer’s head.

“I heard that,” he announced, stepping over to the group, smiling at the three women, one more than the others. Emily gave a small wave to Spencer, knocking an arm with Piper. “I’m going to go get ready. Text the group chat on whatever you decide,” she said to Kassidy as she started walking away, “See you in a couple of hours. Bye Spence.” He gave a small wave in return, slightly confused. Piper couldn’t help chewing her lip as she noticed the small furrow on Spencer’s forehead, his almond-tinted eyes narrowing. 

Kassidy couldn’t help but notice how cute he looked when he was concentrating. She could see exactly what drew Piper to him to begin with. In a way. Because, yeah, he was cute, but he wasn’t her type. Her type happened to be tall, dark, and handsome. Not tall, lanky, and too smart for his own good. She shook her head lazily, gathering the last of her things.

“Girls’ night,” Piper explained eventually, making Spencer groan. Kassidy held back the urge to laugh at his reaction. Yup, they were perfect together. 

“Again? You had one a week ago,” he was frowning.

“Try explaining that to Penelope,” Piper grumbled as Spencer stepped closer, far closer than he did with anyone else. His hand instinctively drifted to hers, brushing against her smooth skin. Kassidy held back the smallest of urges to smile, especially at the slightest flush of Piper’s face. She was certain that if she pointed it out, Piper might hit her. And she didn’t like it when Piper hit her (not that it was ever hard, it just wasn’t a nice thing to do). 

Piper laced her fingers into his hand. He made the smallest pout in reply, his lower lip jutting out a little further than the top, his eyebrows knitting together, “I can’t come with you?”

Kassidy giggled, stepping around the two, “Didn’t you hear her, Spence? It’s girl’s night. Not girls and one boy.” She started towards the doors but decided to wait on them so they wouldn’t be the only two left in the bullpen. She started playing with a button of a bee on her bag. Personally, she was terrified of the bullpen when she was all by herself. It was so spooky when there weren’t other people around. 

“I can be one of the girls,” Spencer argued, his cheeks growing rosy as he continued pouting.

Piper interlocked their pinky fingers, smirking at him as she pressed a kiss to his nose. “You’ll be fine by yourself for one night, Doc. I’m sure there’s some light reading you want to catch up on without me pestering you for attention.”

He leaned closer to her, pressing their foreheads together, his lower lip still quivering in an effort to make her cave, “Pipes, you know I don’t read as well without you there.”

Piper giggled, rolling her eyes, “You’re being a little dramatic,” she replied, releasing his hands to wrap around his neck, locking her wrists around his head as she tangled her fingers in the roots of his short ‘boy-band’ hair. “It’s just one night. I’m sure you’ll manage.” Kassidy felt a little weird watching them, so she elected to glance around the bullpen, her eyes settling on the darkness of Hotch’s office. She wondered what he would be doing during their weekend.  _ Probably hanging out with Jack. _ She felt a twinge of sadness, like she’d rather be there than on this night out. 

Not that she would know what to do if she was there. Or that Hotch would even invite her out to begin with. 

“I’ve managed months without you, and it was awful,” he whined, his arms encircling her waist, “I told myself I would never spend another night without you again.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, then on the tip of her nose, savoring her warmth, “but if you insist on breaking my heart-” She interrupted him, pulling him down to kiss him softly. Her fingertips ghosted over his clean-shaven jaw, her thumb gliding over his cheekbone, pulling away reluctantly as she remembered they were still in the bureau . 

“Oh my goodness you two,” Kassidy finally said, peeking out from between her fingers as her hands covered her face. She could feel her own blush on her cheeks, feeling a bit too innocent to be watching them make lovey-dovey eyes at each other. And kissing. 

Piper let out a strangled laugh as she buried her face in Spencer’s chest, obviously embarrassed that Kassidy had seen. Her neck and cheeks began turning a fair shade of red as she wished the ground would just swallow her up.

“Uh, Kass, w-why are you still here?” Spencer said, stumbling over his words.

“Please go home,” Piper pleaded, her voice muffled by Spencer’s shoulder.

Kassidy giggled, “I was going to wait on you two, but um, I’ll go. Don’t uh- don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said with a shrug as she turned to leave. Gosh, that was embarrassing for everyone involved. Kassidy wasn’t used to seeing Piper being so affectionate with Spencer during work- or ever- but that was because they were professionals. Or supposed to be. 

Piper snorted, making sure she was leaving this time before turning to Spencer. “It is one night. One horrendously long, horrible night where Emily and Penelope are going to turn into terrible drunks.”

“Or you could come home with me?” Spencer tried, smiling placidly. “We could watch a movie or Doctor Who.”

“Uh-huh,” Piper replied with a knowing grin. “We both know how that ends up, and someone needs to make sure the girls don’t end up dead in a ditch.”

Kassidy tried to pretend she didn’t hear that, pushing through the glass doors towards the elevator. Because, truly, Piper was right about the ditch thing. Kassidy wasn’t strong enough to lift Emily into a cab. And she knew this, because she had tried before. It was not a fun night.

It wouldn’t take her too long to get home; around 20 minutes if she timed it right when arriving at the metro. Tonight it took her 18 minutes, which was worth noting because she hardly ever got home under the 20 minute mark. 

Her apartment wasn’t messy, not really, but it wasn’t neat or clean either. Standing in the doorway, she frowned a little at her living room. She’d need to move her couch if she wanted to make sure there was plenty of floor space for sleepover shenanigans. The coffee table too, which was currently covered in research papers and articles on whether or not empathy was an innate trait or something taught via nature vs. nurture. The same could be asked of good vs. evil, a topic that she was trying to study diligently for work and the scholarship-- but that was for another time. Tonight was about fun! The success of another case solved deserved to be celebrated. 

(Also the success of Piper not having punched the smug detective that was testing all of their nerves, that was important too). 

So, rolling up her sleeves, she began tidying up her small one-bedroom apartment. Cookie came out of hiding for a little bit, watching intently as she pushed the couch back and swept underneath it. “How did you manage to get so many cat toys under here already? I’ve had you for a week,” Kassidy said to the calico, pointing a toy mouse at her. Cookie Dough yawned and walked back to the bedroom. Which, Kassidy expected, because it’s not like the cat was going to answer her. 

Before long her phone was going off, the group chat being filled with insistent messages from Penelope. She wiped the sweat from her forehead before picking it off the coffee table (now cleared and ready to be used as a snack space). 

**Tech Queen:** Are you guys ready yet? I’ve been ready for 45 min

**Babe in Black:** Yeah I’m ready. Wanna meet me at the bar in 20?

**Tech Queen:** Hells ya Em

**Pipes:** We still crashing at your place, Kass?

**Sunshine:** Yeah. I just cleaned it up 😊 I need to shower and change and then I’ll meet you guys!

**Pipes:** Sweet. I’m bringing over Jurassic Park. Also Kass tell me if you need any food that doesn’t come from a can.

**Tech Queen:** Yaaaaaaassssss

**Babe in Black:** Oh cool, I love that movie

**Sunshine:** 😭 Don’t make fun of me, Pippy.

**Pipes:** No. Absolutely not. I tolerate a lot of crap from you lot. Pippy is unacceptable.

**Tech Queen:** LMAO 😂

**Sunshine:** Jurassic Park is a scary movie.

**Tech Queen:** It’s not scary! But don’t worry, I’ll hold you if you get scared

**Babe in Black:** Hey, Pipes, text 911 if you need me to hold Spencer back 😜

**Pipes:** Relax, we’re all good. 😉😉

**Tech Queen:** DAAMN

**Sunshine:** Okay, I’m getting out. See you guys in a bit ❤️️

Kassidy closed her phone, trying to ignore Piper’s implications as she took one last look at her living room. It would have to do for now, because she was running out of time to meet the girls at the bar. At least her papers weren’t everywhere anymore. That was something.

~~~

Piper was the first to greet her as she entered the bar, waving her over with a big smile. Kassidy was grateful they picked a spot near the front door, that way she didn’t have to push her way through a sea of people to make it to her friends. Penny was already sipping on a colorful cocktail, her bright pink lips wrapped around the black straw. Her dress was a bright, glimmering peacock colour, exposing her collarbones. She grinned when Kassidy approached, “Took you long enough,” she teased. Kassidy shrugged, smiling, “Sorry, I couldn’t find an outfit I liked.”

“You look great,” Emily encouraged her with a bright smile, making a show of looking her up and down, “Why don’t you twirl for us?”

Kassidy blushed but did as she was asked, spinning around to show off her dress. It was a pretty red number that had a rather low-cut front (very scandalous), and it was cut off right before her knees. She wore a pair of black tights underneath with some strappy sandals. She knew better than to wear heels to the bar. Not with her two left feet. 

Piper let out a whistle, “Wow, what would Hotch think if he were here?” She asked, raising her eyebrows with a very not-so-subtle smirk. 

She, on the other hand, was dressed for comfort. She wore a loose beige jumper that only she could pull off for a night out, tight black jeans clinging to her waist, showing off her toned legs while still remaining classy. And only Piper could get away with wearing her biker boots with the outfit (they weren’t actually biker boots, but that’s what Kassidy called them because they  _ looked _ like it, okay?). She also made a show of holding up her phone, snapping a picture of Kassidy in her dress. Kassidy chose to ignore that. For now.

But the red on her face darkened as she cleared her throat, “W-why does it matter what Hotch would think? He’s, um, he’s not here,” she said as she plopped herself into a seat next to Penelope. Her fingers started picking at the cuticles of her thumb as she tried to pretend she wasn’t flustered at the thought of Hotch seeing her outside of work, in a bar, in this particular dress.  _ Because what was there to be flustered about? Nothing. Nothing at all. _

Piper rolled her eyes, sipping at her water, “Are you going to order something?” she asked her blonde friend. 

Emily smiled, “Yeah, we’re out to celebrate. Have a drink, Kass.”

Kassidy hesitated, eyeing Piper, “You’re the DD, right?”

“As always,” Piper sighed, holding up her lemon soda

“Okay…” Kassidy was still hesitant. The last time she had gone out with Penelope they needed a taxi, and it wasn’t a very fun endeavor.

Penelope-- speaking of the devil-- pushed on her and led her to the bar, “Come on hot stuff, let’s get you something sweet!”

Something sweet turned into three  _ something sweet _ drinks later, each one with sugar on the rim. She couldn’t recall what it was she was drinking, but it didn’t matter because Penny was ordering for her anyways. After finishing her third glass, she was feeling that similar buzz of warmth coursing through her veins. And she was smiling. 

“You girls ready for a nail painting session when we get to Kassy’s?” Penny asked, leaning a little too far over the table to shout over the music which Piper bobbed along too. That was a rarity. Not many bars coincided with her music taste, either too pop or too rock. Emily held up her drink out of Penny’s way, “Yeah! You said you would show me how you did the little bats from last Halloween,” she grinned.

Piper raised both eyebrows over her juice, “Oh, I didn’t know we were doing our nails tonight. If I did, I would have cut you all off two drinks ago.” She made a pointed look at Penny who just rolled her eyes in return 

“Don’t worry your cute butt about it, Pipes. We’ll snack a bunch and sober up enough for girl time.” Piper sighed deeply, answering a text quickly as Emily smiled knowingly.

Kassidy hummed along to the song that was playing over the speakers, her eyes flickering around the crowd. There were a lot of people there for a Thursday night. She wondered if Hotch ever came out to the bar when he wasn’t invited by the team.  _ Did he have friends outside of the team? _ That wasn’t a very kind thought, but it cropped up anyways. Because, of course, he has friends. He has a whole life outside of the BAU.  _ He has his son, and he’s friends with Rossi, so the two of them probably do stuff together. _

She wondered if she could ever ask him about what his life was like. Would that be weird? Asking her boss about his life? When she joined a year and a half ago his ex-wife had just died, and it was kind of a touchy topic around the bullpen. She never really knew how to ask about it until so much time had passed that she read the report instead. And now  _ so _ much more time had passed, and she was sitting in a dingy bar, staring at strangers, thinking about asking him to hang out sometime after work.

If that wasn’t too weird. Because why would it be weird?

“Hey, Kass, what are you thinking about?” Piper asked her, grabbing her attention.

“Hmm? Oh. I dunno. I was kind of just vibing to the music,” she nodded her head, feeling the room sway a little as she did. Maybe she shouldn’t have any more alcohol. 

“Did you say  _ vibing _ ?” Emily’s face screwed up. “Have you been hanging out with Derek too much?” She poked fun at her, smirking, “He needs to stop teaching you lingo.”

Kassidy frowned, “I know some lingo.”

“Uh-huh,” Piper’s smirk didn’t fade as she leaned across the table a little, as to not shout too much, “Anyways, are you sure you weren’t thinking about a certain super tall, strong, and handsome agent?” Her eyes were dark in the smoky bar. Even the lights from the nearby dancefloor couldn’t pierce the mischievous look behind them.

Kassidy flushed, readjusting in her seat “No? I-I don’t,” she swallowed, “I don’t know who you could be talking about.”

Piper arched an eyebrow, leaning back in her seat, an arm hanging over the back of Emily’s chair, an easy smile dripping from her rosy lips. “Right. Then why are you blushing?”

“I’m drunk?” It wasn’t a good excuse, but it was realistic and believable. 

Piper laughed, shaking her head, “Okay, okay. So to be clear, you weren’t thinking about our boss? Our Unit Chief? Mr. Aaron Hotchner himself?” She was studying Kassidy’s eyes as she spoke, watching as her drunk friend averted her gaze to the table, her blush growing over her whole face, her bright blue eyes staring at the mahogany table. “I guess you don’t wanna see this pic of Jack in his soccer uniform then,” Piper sighed, still on her phone. Nights out didn’t agree with her.

“No! I wanna see!” Kassidy shrieked and Piper gripped her phone tightly as she pressed play on the video. It was really cute, watching the 5 year old in Hotch’s living room, all dressed up in his uniform, kicking a soccer ball into the makeshift net made of a bedsheet along the wall. Hotch was clearly filming, his voice coming from the phone,  _ “Good job, buddy!”  _ Kassidy felt her heart rate pick up hearing his voice, a smile breaking out on her face.

“He’s got a game tomorrow morning,” Piper explained with a smirk. “Wanted to go through some drills.”

“Jack’s been hanging out with Rossi too much,” Emily scoffed. “Italians and their soccer.” Hairs on the back of Piper’s neck pricked up and she shoved the phone into Kassidy’s hands, who looked baffled from the sudden change of demeanor.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Piper murmured as she looked back for Penelope who had just slipped away from them. “Oh, not again,” Piper groaned, pushing up the sleeves of her jumper as she moved with purpose to the bar. “Hey!” she called out to the drunk jock at the bar, leering at Penelope who was clearly uncomfortable. “Hey! Jackass!” The man whirled around. 

_ Oh no, _ Kassidy thought, clutching Piper’s phone to her chest. Emily leaned over, “And I thought we would get through the day without Piper punching someone.”

“Hey!” he said cheerfully, clearly misreading the situation. “You wanna join the party too?” Piper grinned broadly.

“No,” she yelled, making her voice heard over the speakers, and in one fluid motion, slammed the man's head onto the surface of the bar. Kassidy gasped, her hands flying over her mouth as she yelled, “Pipes!” Not that Piper heard her over the music and the gathering crowd who wanted to see what the fuss was about. Emily stood up, pushing her chair back a little, gauging whether or not she should intervene. But Piper clearly had it handled as Emily caught an unmistakable glimpse of Piper’s gun tucked into the belt of her jean. She smiled a little and put a hand on Kassidy’s shoulder, “Relax, Kass. Piper’s okay.”

“I’m more worried about  _ him _ ,” Kassidy replied from under her hands, “I don’t think the bartender is going to like cleaning up blood off the bar.”

“I ought to arrest you for public indecency and sexual harassment,” Piper hissed into the guy’s ear, her forearm pinning his neck so he tasted the alcohol-soaked into the disgusting wood. “Instead, I’m gonna throw you out of here like the trash you are, and you’re going to clean up your act. Got it?” The man mumbled something against the table. “What was that?” Piper asked, her voice rising.

“Yeah, jeez.” Piper released her arm, grabbing a fistful of his collar and dragging him out of the establishment. Emily laughed as Piper threw him out like a bowling ball. Sighing deeply, Piper ignored the slow claps from the women around the bar, running a thumb over her forearm as she made her way to the table. Penelope whooped.

“THAT’S MY GIRL!” Penelope yelled, making Piper wince slightly.

Kassidy wrinkled her nose, her lips pursed, “I can’t believe you did that-”

“Can I have my phone back before you text Spencer what happened?” Piper asked, her voice a little quieter. Emily snorted, passing Piper the phone that Kassidy had dropped onto the table. Kassidy let out a small, “Whoops,” when she realized that she wasn’t even holding it anymore. She wasn’t even done watching the video, but then that whole fiasco happened,  _ so now she wasn’t going to get to finish it. _

“At this point, it's a little predictable,” Emily scoffed. “You deserve a drink.”

“Em,” Piper scolded her, returning her full attention to the phone. Her gaze immediately turned cheerful. “Oh, Hotch just sent me a picture of Jack,” Piper said happily, showing them the photo. “He’s reading Harry Potter, finally.”

“Oh my god, that expensive hardcover set that Hotch was about to kill you for?” Penelope asked. Piper shrugged.

“It’s like you said. I have a duty as a former educator to make sure Jack’s at a good reading level.” But Kassidy couldn’t get over the picture of Aaron next to him, in just a plain polo shirt, his biceps protruding slightly as the sleeves rode up.

Penelope leaned over, “Whoa Kassy, you look like a tomato. What happened?”

“Nothing,” Kassidy squeaked, shaking her head vigorously, “I just had too much to drink. Bathroom?” 

Penelope jumped up at that, “Yes! Bathroom! Come on ladies!” She pushed her chair out a little too quickly, knocking it over onto the floor. Emily hid her mouth behind her hand and laughed, “Jeez, Garcia,” she tried to scold, still laughing.

Piper made a face, her lips pursed together, unimpressed, “I’ll wait here and watch our stuff...like always,” she offered, returning to her phone, no doubt to complain about their night to Spencer.

It took a little more than Kassidy had expected to keep her balance once she stood up. The world swayed, her legs feeling like jello under her weight. She grabbed her chair to steady herself, gaining a concerned glance from Piper who was half-way out of her seat to help her, her brown, doe-eyes widening in worry.

“You okay, Kass?”

“Yes,” she breathed, “Just, drunk. Maybe we should go sober up and watch movies now?” Being drunk was fun sometimes, but sometimes it proved more of a hassle than anything. Like right now, when she couldn’t feel her feet (did she normally feel her feet?), and when the world spun a little too quickly as the lights flashed over her friends and the music grew louder. She kind of wanted to go home and cuddle on the couch.  _ Or cuddle with Hotch. _ But she would never admit that. 

Penelope whined, glancing at her watch, “What? It’s only 10:00.”

“The perfect time to start drinking water to avoid a killer hangover tomorrow,” Piper pointed out with a small smile. Emily nodded, then made a face, “I don’t get hungover.”

“You say that every single time we go out, and then you blow up our phones saying you hate yourself,” Piper smirked. Emily decided not to argue, choosing to shrug one shoulder non-committedly. Penelope giggled, hanging off of Emily’s arm, “It’s true, Em,” she poked her on the nose, “You probably have the worst hangovers out of all of us.”

Kassidy giggled, picking up her bag, “Sorry to end the party so soon, guys.” “No it’s fine,” Piper smiled, “I’m glad we can go do some activities I can be apart of now,” she laughed a little, leading the group from their table and out the door (not without paying first, of course, with the Bureau’s card that she definitely didn’t take from Strauss’s office earlier that day, because that would be _wrong_ and _stealing_ ). “Strauss owes us,” she said to no one in particular. Kassidy wasn’t sure what that meant. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls head back to Kassidy's apartment after an eventful evening at the bar, but they aren't done yet! Dinner, truth-or-dare, and hilarity ensues. Also Dad!Rossi makes a short appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey thanks for reading if you're reading this. It was a LOT of fun to write, and to work with Rucha to create this little story.   
> Reminder that Kassidy Hughes belongs to me, and is my own original character.  
> Dr. Piper Bishop belongs to @dralexreid, and is her own original character.   
> Everyone else belongs to CM.

The group arrived at Kassidy’s apartment in one piece. Which was a miracle on its own, seeing and Penelope tried to crawl into the front passenger seat while Piper was driving Emily’s car. She’d left her bike at home which disappointed Kassidy. She loved riding with Piper. Kassidy batted at her and Emily pulled her back while Piper took out a spray bottle from her bag, lightly spraying Penelope with water so she stayed in the back seat. 

It turned out okay, somehow, but the look on Piper’s face was enough to make Kassidy wonder how she could deal with their antics sober. It was probably just to make sure they’d stay alive. 

Ushering her friends inside, the warmth of her buzz still lingering in the background, she smiled, “Welcome to my home! I mean, all of you have been here before, but um, welcome again!” Piper trekked over to the nearest chair and sank into it in relief. She unlaced her boots, pulling them off delicately before removing each holster.

“You seriously brought all that with you?” Kassidy asked but Emily shrugged, unsurprised.

“I doubt Spencer let her out without them,” Emily scoffed, shouldering the duffel bag with their pajamas. Piper snickered, pulling off each sock next.

Penny threw herself onto the couch, dropping her bag beside her and digging through it, “Alright! PJ’s and snacks, then we’ll start the movie!” she declared loudly. 

Emily laughed, walking to the bathroom, “I’m going to change in here,” she informed them all. 

Piper slid over to the kitchen, opening the fridge. After a moment she frowned and shot a glance at Kassidy. “Kass, you don’t have like, any food in here,” she pointed out. “I told you to text me. And you  _ never _ drink on an empty stomach.”

“Um,” Kassidy toed off her shoes, setting her purse down by the door, “We’re never home? There really isn’t a reason to buy groceries cause they’ll all go bad,” she explained. Also, that would explain why her three drinks seemed to hit her harder than normal. She hadn’t eaten anything before. Huh.

Piper sighed. “I’m taking you to the store tomorrow.”

“No, Pipes, you don’t need to do that. I was planning on just getting take-out.”

“For all four days we have off?” Piper gave her a pointed look, “Really?”

“Yes?” Kassidy answered as a question, unsure if that  _ was _ the right answer. She was actually looking forward to ordering out tomorrow. There was a cute new little Indian place down the road she wanted to try.

Piper rolled her eyes, a small smile ghosting her lips, “Not on my watch. I’m teaching you how to shop and then how to cook. Go get changed. And then introduce me to your cat.”

Oh! Right! Kassidy had a cat now. She almost forgot. Gosh, she was drunk. Piper shook her head before burying it in the fridge, humming delightedly when she found something to cook with. But she desperately needed reinforcements.

Hurrying to her bedroom, Kassidy spotted Cookie Dough on her bed, curled up in a ball. She was so cute. Kassidy changed quickly (into her favorite Minnie Mouse t-shirt and some  _ Star Wars _ pajama bottoms), and then interrupted her kitty's beauty sleep by plucking her from the bed and parading her into the living room, where Penny and Emily were both now on the couch in their respective PJ’s. The two both gasped, their eyes wide and smiles huge when they spotted the cat. Piper snickered softly, her eyes never looking up as she thawed the frozen chicken breast and the peas.

“Cookie!” Penny squealed, taking the cat gingerly from Kassidy’s grip. She snuggled her face into Cookie’s body, the cat purring from the attention. Emily laughed, “We still need to go get matching sweaters for her and Sergio,” she said, surprised when the doorbell rang.

Kassidy giggled, nodding her head in agreement, “Yes, we do,” she hesitated a moment, glancing over at her door, “Who?-”

“I got it!” Piper called out, wiping her hands before leaving for the door. “Oh, thank god for you, Rossi. You’re the best.”

Kassidy peered over the couch as if trying to look around Piper, “Rossi?”

Piper turned and hurried back to the kitchen, her feet sliding across the tile with a bag of rice in her hands. Rossi glanced around the living room before his eyes settled on Kassidy, “Ah,  _ il mio sole _ , I was just stopping by to help Piper with an emergency-”

“A rice emergency?” Kassidy asked, walking up to him with a smile. Even though she was confused, she couldn’t help but smile at him. He made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside- and not in the same way that alcohol did. He laughed softly, “Yes. I happened to be out, and Piper needed some rice to help with dinner-”

“Wait,” Kassidy turned around to see Piper adding water to a pot, “You’re making dinner? Why? We could have ordered pizza or something.”

“ _ That _ is why,” Rossi shook his head, like a parent disappointed in their child, “You need to actually eat something substantial. Some real food.”

Kassidy felt herself blush, “Pizza can be real food.”

Rossi’s hands went to her shoulders as he pulled her close, placing a kiss on her forehead, “ _ Bella _ , just enjoy having someone cook for you. Some who can cook good food,” David added, smiling at the kiss Piper blew him. “Now, don’t get into any trouble. I’ll see you tomorrow at Jack's game?” Piper snorted from the kitchen, “If they can get out of bed in the morning.”

Emily made a pointed face at Piper, “Don’t you sass us in there young lady,” she called. 

Kassidy giggled, kissing him on the cheek before he could walk away, “Alright, and yes. Drive safe, please.”

“Always,” he peered past her at Emily and Penelope, who were both still harassing the cat, “That goes for you two as well. No trouble. Have a good night ladies.”

Kassidy waved as he walked down the hallway and down the stairs. She closed the door, making a face with her nose scrunched up, “Pipes,” she called, looking into the kitchen, “You know you shouldn’t feel obligated to cook anything for us.”

“You wanted me to be your DD,” Piper countered. This is DD duties,” she continued. “And be glad I found something to cook with.”

Piper left the rice to cook, grabbing the duffel bag Emily threw at her before leaving to get changed. “Don’t touch anything,” she yelled out. Kassidy walked over to the stove.

“Even if the water’s boiling?” 

“YES!” A yell came out from the bathroom. Within a minute, Piper emerged, wearing an old white t-shirt that definitely looked to be one of Spencer’s at some point, and a pair of navy blue sweats that said “FBI Academy” in white along the right leg. Her eyes lit up when she spotted Cookie Dough, strolling over quickly to pet her on the head, “Oh my gosh, she’s so cute,” Piper said, kissing Cookie softly before returning to stir the pot. Piper bit her lip, letting it cook as she assembled her things, cursing under her breath every time she needed something that Kassidy didn’t have.

“She knows,” Kassidy replied, taking a step away from the stove to stay out of Piper’s way. She didn’t want to upset her any more than she seemed to be.

Eventually, Cookie had had enough and pushed her way out of Penelope’s grip, padding to her food dish, her tail swaying back and forth.

Penelope sighed, “She’s so precious. I need a cat.”

“You do,” Emily nodded, “Sergio is my little buddy.” Penelope waddled over in her drunken state to hug Piper. Kassidy giggled, leaning back on the counter to watch her friends.

“Hi, babe,” Piper cooed softly, feeling Penelope’s warm arms circle around her, her blonde head resting on her shoulder.

“Hi,” Penelope chirped. “I love you. Spencer’s so lucky to have you.” Piper was listening intently, a smile gleaming on her lips as Penelope kept going, rambling about how perfect they were for each other and how she desperately wanted mini-geniuses running around. But somehow Piper managed to focus on her hands, slicing through the meat methodically, cutting away fatty tissue.

“You hungry, honey?” Piper asked, her tone almost motherly. She felt Penelope nod emphatically. “Then I need some space, darling.” 

“Okay,” Penelope grumbled, releasing her as she pouted. Kassidy giggled again, holding out her arms so Penelope could come over to her. Penny smiled, the bounce her step gone, as she walked over and pressed her forehead into Kassidy’s chest, causing Kassidy to go, “Oof.” She wrapped her arms around her, resting her cheek on the top of Penelope’s head, watching Piper as she continued to cook. She could hear Penelope’s breathing, her warm body being just heavy enough to ground her. The world wasn’t swaying anymore, but this was still nice. 

Piper pulled out all her different leftover takeout, scanning each box for sauces. She found a nice spicy one from a Mexican box and a red one from a burger box. Kassidy raised an eyebrow as Piper tasted each, judging them before adding a drop of vinegar to the red one. Within a few minutes, the sound of crackling filled the apartment and the smell of spicy-sweet food permeated the room.

“Okay, we are done,” Piper said through a taste of the fried rice. “Oh, hold on. Kass, you still have that basil that I gave you?” Kassidy nodded, proud at being a good plant mom, telling her it was on the fire escape. Piper smiled in relief, practically sprinting to the window near the dining room. Half of Piper’s body was obscured by her reaching out to pluck a few leaves off the plant. She ducked back in, taking in the smell of fresh basil. Kassidy watched, slightly mesmerized by Piper washing it and chopping it up. “This would be perfect with chives but whatever,” she grumbled under her breath, sprinkling the chopped-up leaves over the top of the amber-colored rice.

“How’d you get that yellowy color to it?” Kass asked.

“You’re not sober enough to remember and I don’t teach drunks,” Piper said absently, plating up for the four of them. “Who’s hungry?” she called out.

“Penelope’s right. Spencer’s so lucky,” Emily cried out, trying to grab her plate until Piper swatted it. 

“Wash those grubbers,” Piper scolded her, balancing all four plates in her arms as the three hungry, drunk women started washing their hands. Piper placed each plate on the table with their respective spoons. At this point, she was terrified if Kassidy didn’t own any spoons either.

“Ready for  _ Jurassic Park _ ?” Piper called out, digging into her bag and pulling out the DVD. She popped it in before anyone could argue or say otherwise, and before the group knew it, they were all piled up on the couch under a blanket, eating dinner and watching the movie in  _ almost  _ silence. 

Penelope couldn’t help but point out the differences in the movie from the book. Kassidy hid her face behind her hands during the “scary” scenes, peeking between her fingers every once in a while to check if it was safe to watch. And Emily started to snore softly near the end. Penelope soon joined her, the two cuddled together under the blanket (stealing it from Piper and Kassidy).

By the time the credits rolled, Piper had Kassidy’s head tucked into her body, her fingers twirling a lock of her blonde friend's hair around. Kassidy peered up at her, “You’re not sleepy?” She asked.

“Nope,” Piper smiled, “It’s probably all the popcorn.”

“Me neither,” Kassidy admitted. Penelope and Emily were both a little too far gone to try and wake up. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Kassidy frowned. It was only 1:03am. So much for staying up all night, partying. 

She pushed herself sitting up, stretching her arms over her head, “Well, what do you wanna do?”

“I wanted to get my nails done,” Piper joked, “But it looks like that’s not happening.”

Kassidy giggled, looking at Penelope again, watching her sleep, “Yeah, there’s always tomorrow.”

Piper turned her whole body to face her, “What if we played a game?” Her eyes lit up. 

“What kind of game?” Kassidy couldn’t think of anything that didn’t involve alcohol, unfortunate as that was. And the way Piper was looking at her was making her nervous. Piper always had somewhat dangerous or silly ideas. Not that she didn’t appreciate those ideas, because she did, but when it was 1:00 in the morning and she was still tipsy from her earlier sugar bombs, she was hesitant. 

“Truth or dare?” Piper rose both of her eyebrows as she spoke, mischievous intentions behind her eyes. 

Kassidy found herself smiling at the silly kid's game, “Really? Okay, sure, you go first then.”

Piper’s smirk was a little scary, “Alright Kass, truth or dare?”

“Uh, truth?” Suddenly her smile faded a little, her mind realizing a little too late how this  _ silly kids game _ could go horribly wrong. 

“And you promise to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Because if you can’t tell me, then you have to do a dare instead.” Piper was pointing at her, her expression suddenly serious (kind of like Hotch’s when he had to interrogate an Unsub). 

Kassidy faltered a little before eyeing her friend, “Yes?” Oh no. 

“Alright then,” Piper snickered, “Do you like anyone right now? And I mean, like, have a crush?”

Kassidy frowned, “That’s not fair.”

“You gotta answer.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, your turn.” Piper looked pleased with herself as she leaned back against the arm of the couch, wiggling a little to get comfortable. 

“Fine, Pipes, truth or dare.” Kassidy narrowed her eyes.

“Dare,” Piper said with a Cheshire grin. Because of course, she was grinning. 

“Jesus, Pipes. Fine, I dare you to wake up Penelope and Emily and ask them to join our game. Cause I’m bad at coming up with dares and I know that Emily is good at it,” Kassidy crossed her arms across her chest, pouting. This game wasn’t going to be fun if it was just a way for Piper to tease her. So she might as well get the others involved. At least Emily could act as some sort of referee between them if they started bickering (something that happened a little too much, as Rossi pointed out once). 

Piper’s grin didn’t waver as she sat up, “Fine.” She leaned over Kassidy and poked Penelope’s tummy, “Hey Garcia, wake up,” she said. Penelope groaned and hid her face under the blanket, “Why?” She whined. 

“We’re playing truth or dare. You wanna play?”

“Oh,” Penelope peeked out from her hiding spot, her large eyes blinking a couple of times, “Truth or dare?” Her voice sounded a little slurred from sleep. Emily groaned, pushing her off of her, “Oh I’m in,” she said with a yawn, “Especially if I can force Kassidy to make a prank call-”

“What?” Kassidy hissed between her teeth, her eyes round, “Now I know not to let anyone dare me to do anything! I couldn’t prank call someone. That’s so mean.” Piper rolled her eyes slightly. Kassidy was the kindest person Piper had ever met. But sometimes the girl didn’t know how to have fun.

Penelope giggled, wiping at her eyes before picking up her glasses off the coffee table, “That’s not fair, Kass. You have to let someone dare you to do something. It’s part of the game.”

Kassidy stuck her tongue out, “I don’t have to do anything I don’t wanna do. So there.”

Piper snickered, standing up as she gathered the empty, polished-off plates. Never underestimate a drunk woman’s ability to eat. Kassidy watched Piper take them away to the kitchen, not too far away from the girls gathered on the couch.

“Alright, well since Kass just dared me to wake you girls up, it’s my turn to ask someone.” She made a show of putting her finger on her chin in faux thought, humming as she looked from one woman to the next. She finally pointed at Emily, “Em, truth or dare?”

“Oh, dare,” Emily smirked. Her hair was fuzzy from where her head had been settled on the couch when she napped. 

“I dare you to drink a glass of water,” Piper grinned, pouring her a glass and sliding it across the counter, wiping it down at the same time. Emily frowned, “Oh come on, that’s no fun.”

“A dares a dare,” Piper shrugged her shoulders, “You gotta do it.”

Grumbling, Emily clambered over the couch and, grabbing a glass, asked, “Do I have to drink the whole cup?”

“Yes!” Piper scolded her. Emily let out a groan of disapproval, leading to an eruption of giggles from Penelope and Kassidy. 

With her water in hand, Emily took a seat in Kassidy’s “book chair,” (a chair that was usually covered in books, but she made sure to clear it off before her friends came over). And reluctantly, she drank the whole thing. Piper clapped her hands, “Yay, good job Em!” Emily was glaring back at her, but the twitch of her lips showed she was trying so hard to not smile. It was just an act, for fun. Piper let the water run in Kass’s sink, starting to rinse the dishes.

“Alright, my turn,” she announced as she set the empty glass down, “Kass, truth or dare?”

“Not me again,” Kassidy huffed, pulling her knees to her chest. She debated on what to say, knowing that if she said ‘dare,’ Emily would probably make her do something embarrassing. But if she picked ‘truth,’ she wasn’t sure that would be much better. 

So, with a sigh, she said, “Truth?”

“Okay, I need to know, what’s your body count?”

“My what?” Kassidy recoiled a little, confused, “I’ve never killed anyone-”

“I’ve shot like, maybe 13 people. Probably more,” Piper interrupted, nodding in thought, her lips twitching into a smile, “Do they have to die to count as a body?” She asked, holding up a sponge. “If that’s the case then I’ve killed three Unsubs.”

“No, honey, no,” Penelope was giggling, her cheeks still flushed from the bar, “Your body count. Like, how many people have you slept with?”

Kassidy’s eyes grew wide, “Oh,” she squeaked. She could feel her embarrassment take hold of her whole face- even her ears were red. She hid her face under her hands, listening to her friends all laugh. Why was this so funny? It was  _ so  _ personal!

“Oh jeez, Em,” Piper rolled her eyes, “That’s such a boring question. I’m sure you could think of something better than that.”

Emily chuckled, “I asked Kassy, not you. So, come on, Kass, how many people have you slept with? Would it help if I told you my count? I’ve been with 23 people.”

“Only 23?” Penny teased, looking her up and down, “I thought you’d be in the triple digits.”

Emily scoffed, “I’m not that loose, Garcia, jeez.”

“First of all, no, that doesn’t help,” Piper pointed out. “Second, boundaries, Em,” Piper admonished, making Emily sulk slightly. “Kass, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about and you don’t owe anyone anything.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” Kassidy lied, huffing, “I’m just not used to talking about, um, guys and s-sex,” oh lord that word felt dirty on her tongue, “and um, that kind of stuff.” She started picking at the hem of her shirt, feeling a piece of string unravel.

“Oh honey,” Penny shook her head, “You are the image of a pure baby angel. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say ‘sex’ before.”

“That’s because I haven’t,” Kassidy breathed, her face still red. 

“Hey Em, what was the worst date you’ve ever been on?” Piper asked, turning her attention to her. 

Emily straightened up a little, her smile growing, “My worst date? Oh jeez, I think it was when…” she started explaining, in great detail, the time where a German bureaucrat had taken her to some shabby restaurant and spoke with food in his mouth the whole time. 

Kassidy shot Piper a grateful glance, knowing exactly how her friend had diverted their attention off of her. Piper could always tell when Kassidy’s anxiety was getting out of hand. How? She wasn’t sure, but she was so thankful. She was someone that Piper loved.

“Anyways,” Penny interrupted Emily, “I guess it’s your turn now, Kass! Ask away.”

Kassidy tilted her head in thought, “Alright, Penny, truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Penelope answered with a grin. She was, once again, bouncing in place. Kassidy giggled, “Okay, I dare you to…” she trailed, not exactly sure what she should dare her to do. She glanced at Piper for help, knowing the other agent would definitely have better ideas than her. Piper smirked, moving over and whispering into Kassidy’s ear. 

Kassidy gasped, looking at Piper, “What? No!”

“Yes,” Piper nodded. 

“Yes, what?” Penelope asked, looking between the two, “I hate when you do that thing you two do! Talking without words! Just dare me to do something already!”

“Fine,” Kassidy looked at her, “I dare you to drunk dial Derek, right now.”

Emily laughed as the color left Penelope’s face, being replaced by a blush, “What? What would I even say?”

“I don’t care,” Kassidy shrugged, smiling, “Just call him and put him on speaker. Oh- say one of those naughty things you say sometimes. That’ll be funny.”

Piper snorted, covering her mouth with her hand, “Oh no,” she said to herself, returning to clean up the rest of Kass’s kitchen. 

Penelope pouted for a moment before pulling out her phone, “Alright, fine. A dare’s a dare, I guess.”

On the second ring, Derek answered, his voice deep and crackling with sleep, “‘Sup baby girl?” He answered. Kassidy covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Emily shushed her when a giggle escaped. 

“Hey there my handsome chocolate Adonis,” she replied, licking her lips in thought, “I was just missing you.”

“Oh yeah?” They could hear his smile through the phone, “are you drunk?”

Penelope giggled a little, “Not as much as I was a few hours ago. ‘M sober enough to call you and tell you that I love you and I miss you, and I miss those big rippling muscles of yours.”

“Uh-huh,” he cleared his throat before there was some movement, and the sound of a lamp being ticked on, “Well I’m glad it sounds like you had fun with girls night tonight. Hi Bishop, Prentiss, and Hughes.”

“How did you know?” Kassidy asked, her hands flying off her mouth. Derek started laughing on the other end, “You just told me.”

Piper elbowed Kassidy playfully, “Hey, don’t you have practice tomorrow? Get to bed, Derek, cause you’ll need as much sleep as you can get before I can even attempt to teach you how to swing,” she scolded him with a smile on her face. Derek scoffed, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You swing like my grandmother,” she replied. Penelope was giggling, her shoulder shaking as she tried to keep it together. Kassidy could feel her own cheeks starting to hurt from smiling so much. 

Derek sighed, “Right. Have a good night ladies. No more calling me, I need my beauty sleep.”

“Yeah you do,” Piper blurted before Penny could shut her phone.

“Pipes,” Kassidy looked at her, a shocked smile on her face, “You can’t just say stuff like that! It’s mean-”

“He’s a big boy,” Emily pointed out, “He can take whatever Piper dishes out.”

Piper shrugged, “I let him hit me over the head with a chair, he doesn’t get a choice.” 

“You did what?” Kassidy asked, turning from Piper to Emily for an affirmation and Emily shrugged.

“Things get out of hand,” Emily justified abysmally. “Besides, all’s fair in siblingry and war.”

“Ew no,” Piper scoffed playfully, “I already have Daniel and Lucy, I don’t need to babysit Derek too.” Piper yawned, raising her forearm to cover her mouth. She’d rolled the sleeves up so she didn’t get them wet, revealing her bare wrists and lower arms. And even though Kassidy had been friends with Piper for almost two years, she realized that she didn’t recognize the scars on Piper’s arms. She just hadn’t been close enough to notice them before, she guessed. And for as long as she knew her, she always wore jackets, cardigans, or full-sleeve shirts. Suddenly, the flannel shirt in hot Louisiana made sense. As did the cardigan from Miami last July. The scars weren’t very old either. But there was a welt on her forearm and Kassidy couldn’t help peering at it. It was slightly stretched out but it looked like a crest with a cross and four books in each quarter. The shape of a sun peeked out from above and Kassidy could make out a few letters underneath.

“Hey Pipes, what are those from?” She asked, pointing them out. Piper looked at her quizzically, tilting her head ever-so-slightly, “What are what from?” she peered down at herself, trying to see what Kassidy saw. 

“Those?” Kassidy stood up and reached for Piper’s hand, taking it and turning it over, pointing to the scars. Piper’s face blanched, pulling her hand away from Kassidy violently and rolling the sleeves down forcefully. Emily and Penelope mirrored her look of uncomfortable horror, the two watching Piper to see what she would do next. Kassidy came to the conclusion that she messed up, and badly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!! What's going to happen next I wonder??


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kassidy and Piper talk about Piper's past trauma that happened before Kassidy's arrival to the BAU team. And during their conversation, they realize that they've grown rather close as friends. And Kassidy realizes that she might like her boss a little more than just a "crush."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand here's the angst! I wonder how Kass is going to react to Piper's PTSD?  
> Also, how did we write almost 6,000 words on just this part? Crazy.

They didn’t look like self-harm scars, otherwise, she wouldn’t have said anything. She could tell by the angle, the depth, the color- that was what she studied in school. But, clearly, they were still something that was caused by something so horrible that it made Piper suddenly look very… vulnerable. Which was never a word Kassidy would use to describe her friend. Piper never looked vulnerable, or weak, or scared. Always brave, and strong, and well put-together. 

Right now she looked like she was ready to flee. 

And that scared Kassidy. 

“I-I’m sorry. Pretend I didn’t say anything,” she insisted, reaching out to Piper in an offer to reassure her, “We can um, watch the second _ Jurassic Park  _ movie? Or go to bed?”

“Kass,” Emily called to her as Piper retreated to the bathroom, closing the door softly behind her without a word. Kassidy swallowed, turning to look at her two remaining friends, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt her-”

“She knows, Kass,” Emily smiled, pulling her into a hug, “She was just caught off-guard, that’s all. She’ll tell you when she’s ready, okay? Do you want to go make some popcorn?”

No, not really. Kassidy wanted to go into the bathroom with Piper and hug her and ask her how to make things better, because she wasn’t exactly sure how to fix something that she didn’t know was broken. Something happened to Piper that gave her those scars, and it was scary, and traumatic. And that wasn’t fair. 

But, she did anyway, because she knew what Emily was trying to do. And while she watched the popcorn spin in the microwave, she could see Emily standing at the bathroom door from the corner of her eye, talking to Piper through the solid wall between them. 

Penelope padded up next to her, wrapping her arms around her from behind and resting her head on her shoulder. Kassidy couldn’t help but smile a little at the gesture, “Did you want popcorn, Pen?”

Penelope sighed, “I mean, not really, but since you’re making it I might eat some.”

Kassidy nodded a little, listening for the popping to die down so she could serve it. Penelope didn’t let her go as she poured the popcorn into a large bowl, nor did she let her go when she started walking back to the living room, making her giggle a little at the weird shuffle-walk they were doing in order to stay connected, “Penny?”

“Yes?”

“I know what you’re doing.”

“You do?” Penelope peered at her, making sure to pout out her lips, “How can you be so sure? I’m an enigma.”

Kassidy sighed, smiling, setting the bowl down, “Thank you for trying to cheer me up. You can let me go now.”

“Oh, of course,” Penelope did just that, sitting down on the couch and taking a rather large handful of popcorn. Emily returned a moment later, taking a (much smaller) handful of popcorn, “Um, she said she needs some air. You have a fire escape?”

“Yeah,” Kassidy walked towards the bathroom and rapped her knuckles along it, “Pipes? Um, do you want to sit outside for a minute? I can unlock the window for you.”

There was a moment of silence before the door opened, Piper’s face appearing in the crack of light. Kassidy couldn’t tell if she had been crying and cleaned up really well, or if she was just sitting in there by herself and  _ not _ crying. Probably the former. 

She led Piper to the window by the dining room, unlocking it, and sliding it open to the fire escape. A cool breeze ruffled some plants nearby, making Kassidy shiver- even though it wasn’t even  _ that  _ cold. Just unexpected. 

Piper didn’t need any assistance to climb out the window, leaning against the brick of the building and staring at the dark alleyway below. She didn’t seem cold either, not even shivering or pulling her shirt around herself tighter. Illuminated in the moonlight, she almost looked like one of those really cool CD album covers for metal bands that Kassidy saw at the store, one leg propped up, the other dangling barefoot through the railing. If only she had a cigarette. But Piper didn’t smoke. Also now was not the time to be admiring her in the moonlight like she was some sort of painting. (Which was weird, right? That Kassidy sometimes looked at people and thought of them as paintings? Totally weird). 

She must have just been standing there for longer than she meant to, because eventually, Piper sighed, “Are you coming out here with me?” She asked. 

Oh. Right.

Kassidy climbed out onto the fire escape, having much more trouble than Piper did, the bow in her hair getting caught on the window’s ledge and pulling her ponytail loose. That would normally be super irritating, but she wasn’t going to say anything when her friend was standing there, obviously hurting from past demons like that. 

Piper did manage a weak smile, the corner of her lips quirking up slightly, “You good?”

“Um, yes? Are you?” Kassidy tried to be as cool as Piper, leaning back against the wall with the window between them. She noted Piper’s stance and tried to copy it, her arms crossing over her chest. It was a little chilly, and she was only in a Minnie Mouse t-shirt, but she wasn’t going to complain. 

Piper sighed, running her hand through her hair, her fingers catching on a few unbrushed strands, “I don’t know,” she said slowly, her voice far away. “I thought I was. It’s been over a year, getting close to two, and I thought I was kind of, over it. Especially after you joined the team. I thought that I could just pretend it never happened.”

Kassidy didn’t reply, choosing to just watch how Piper’s hair waved lazily in the breeze, framing her face. She didn’t want to rush her, or say something to scare her away again. 

Piper exhaled, looking up at the sky. Some clouds moved slowly over the moon. “I  _ was  _ doing fine too, for a while. But I’ve been having some dreams every once in a while. But after today--” Piper sighed again. “Maybe I’m not over it.”

Kassidy bit her bottom lip, “Um, you don’t have to talk to me about it. Or tell me anything. Especially if you’re not comfortable,” she paused, watching how Piper glanced at her from the corner of her eye, “but, you always can talk to me too. If you want. I’m here for you.”

Piper wiped her hand over her eyes in a quick motion. Definitely not to wipe away any tears or anything (and even if she was, Kassidy would never say anything about it because Piper didn’t cry). She laughed bitterly, “I know you are, Kass. You’re so sweet. And you know, everything’s fine, right? Spencer and I are together, and happy, and safe. And normal,” she said, with a laugh. “Which never happens, like ever. And she’s in jail-” her breath hitched a little. Kassidy noticed how she was gripping her own arms, how her fingers were digging into the fabric of her shirt. 

She reached across the barrier of empty air (and the light from the window), and touched Piper’s hand, “You said she’s in jail?” She prompted gently. 

Piper nodded. “Yeah. She’s lucky she made it that far after I stabbed her,” she laughed again, shaking her head with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “I’ve talked about it before, I’ve never had to talk to the others about it though. You know? They were all there. And it’s not like I was hiding it or anything,” Piper said. “It’s not even about trust or privacy. It just--it never came up.” Piper laughed bitterly again and Kassidy hated that sound. “Can you imagine what that would’ve been like? ‘Hi, I’d Dr. Bishop, I have 4 PhDs in psychology and I’m a behavioral analyst. Oh, my arms. Yeah, I was uh, I was kidnapped and tortured by an ex-student and I watched my closest friend get shot right in front of me.” Piper snorted, trying to stop the tears from welling up. “Yeah, you’d have gone running.”

Kassidy swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She moved closer again, lacing her fingers with Piper’s as best as she could, pressing her head on Piper’s shoulder. She didn’t say anything, because she didn’t know  _ what  _ to say. What does one say in that situation? Nothing. So she stayed silent as she felt Piper’s body tremble softly beside her.

If Piper was going to cry she wouldn’t point it out. 

Eventually, with a heavy exhale, Piper leaned her head over, resting her cheek on the top of Kassidy’s head after kissing her forehead. She stared at the stars, not really noticing how Kassidy’s face turned into one of confusion, her nose scrunching up a little. Usually, it was Kassidy who would kiss her friends (like on Penny’s cheeks, or Rossi’s forehead), but she wasn’t used to being on the receiving end. It was cute, and nice, and she was definitely going to say something about it later. 

Piper spoke after another beat of silence, her voice quiet, “I mean, I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do, you know? The CBT, the group therapy,” she paused, then snorted and wiped her hand over her face, “I had everyone install a brand new security system to help with the paranoia.” She’s quiet for a moment before sighing, “I’m supposed to be fine, but one look at these and everything just rushes back-” she noticed the look on Kassidy’s face and quickly added, “And-and it’s not your fault, I swear. It’s just my subconscious, I guess. Doesn’t want me to forget, what, with the recurring dreams scaring me half to death. Spencer’s terrified I’m gonna kick him out again.”

“Dreams?” Kassidy found herself asking. So much for staying quiet, “Like, um,” she cleared her throat, “what are the dreams about?”

Piper used her free hand to wipe at her nose, “I guess it would make more sense if you knew what happened? And I guess I’m thankful that you don’t because that means you didn’t go snooping into any of our files when we hired you,” she tried to joke, trying to keep her voice from cracking. Kassidy made a face, “Is that something you were worried about? Why would I go through your files?”

“Well, Derek went through yours-”

“He did what?” Kassidy pulled away to look at Piper, blinking a couple of times, “I’m going to kick his butt.”

Piper laughed, shaking her head, “Don’t tell him it was me that told you.”

Kassidy smiled, a small one, but she was glad that Piper seemed to be feeling better than she did a little bit ago. The latter sighing deeply again, pulling Kassidy close with an arm around her shoulder and forcing her into a tight side-hug.

“So, basically, the short version is this wanna-be-bitch was stalking me for a little bit. So I stayed in my apartment for a few months, and I stayed away from the BAU, my family, friends, everyone I knew because she threatened them. I was protecting them,” she explained. Kassidy recalled Spencer’s earlier comment about having to be away from her for a few months, and wondered if that’s what he meant. It made her sad, a small frown finding its way on her face as she imagined Piper huddled away in her apartment. “But she got to them anyway. She kidnapped my sister so I would come quietly and an old friend of mine,” she paused, swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat at the memory, “And um, she tortured me. For about three days. Tortured us. She tried to hurt me psychologically first, physically later.”

Kassidy could hear Piper’s heart beating from where she had her head pressed against her. She could tell that her friend was trying so hard to be strong, even as she talked through the things that hurt her. It happened so long ago, but the memory was still so fresh in her mind. And the unsub- the wanna-be-bitch- was still alive. In jail, but alive. That must have been hard. 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” she whispered, wrapping both of her arms around Piper and holding her tightly, “You didn’t deserve that.”

“I could’ve killed her,” Piper whispered. “I almost did kill her. And some nights, I think I might sleep a little better if I had.”

They were silent for a moment before she asked, “What was your friend’s name?”

“Arthur,” Piper replied, “On the last day, she killed him. Shot him. And it wasn’t fair, because she promised to let him go- but I guess sociopaths don’t care about promises, huh?”

Kassidy could hear laughter from inside her apartment as Emily and Penelope were clearly on the phone with someone. Maybe JJ? It sounded like they drunk dialed her, and she was a little worried that Emily found her wine. 

But that wasn’t the priority right now. Instead, she hugged Piper tighter, “I’m sorry for your loss, for what you went through, all of it. I wish I knew you back then so I could have helped-”

“Oh, Kass,” Piped breathed, “You do not want to have known me back then. I was a mess. Still am, I guess.”

Kassidy shook her head, “Too late, my wish was already made. Besides, I can’t really go back in time anyways so it’s a useless saying. I’m just not sure what else to say.”

Piper finally wrapped her free arm around her, going from half-hug to a full hug, pressing her face into Kassidy’s shoulder, “I’m glad that you’re listening. That’s enough.”

“Okay.”

They were quiet again, aside from the howling laughter that erupted from Penelope inside, making some joke at Kevin’s expense. 

“So, what are your dreams about?” Kassidy finally asked. Piper snorted, “It’s dumb.”

“No, it’s not,” Kassidy countered, “Especially if they’re making you react the way you are. Clearly, they’re upsetting you.”

Piper glanced down at her, then at the sky, inhaling slowly, exhaling, breathing. “So um, while Irene had me--” Kassidy decided she hated that name: Irene. Ugly name. “-- She gave me a concussion and you aren’t supposed to fall asleep with a concussion, but I did. And I had this dream. I mean, psychologically, your brain comes up with whatever vision it has to to keep your brain alive and fighting which is astonishing on its own--” She stopped herself, realizing she was vamping. “We had kids,” she whispered. “Two beautiful, bubbly kids. And we were married. And everything was perfect. Except now I’m dreaming about them again. And--” Piper’s voice was deathly quiet. “And she shoots Liddy and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Clearing her throat, she wiped at her eyes, laughing bitterly, “That’s dumb right? That I’m so upset over these children that don’t even exist, being murdered in front of me in my dreams?”

Kassidy looked up at her, “I don’t think that’s weird, or dumb. It sounds like you’ve grown attached to the idea of having a family with Spencer, and now you’re scared something is going to take it away. I mean, I’m not an expert on dream theories- I didn’t study that- but that’s what I gather.”

Piper arched an eyebrow, “You got all that from my dream?”

“Yes? Is it true?”

Piper sighed, taking a hand and carding it through her own bangs, twirling the end of a lock around her finger. “I have. Studied dream theory, by the way. My kids represent my happiness, my joy, my future with Spencer. And Irene isn’t just Irene. It’s the job. And my insecurities and my failings. I understand the psychological implications and you’re right. I mean, I would like to have a family with him someday but,” she paused, her voice growing quieter, “what if he doesn’t want kids?”

Kassidy pulled away, scoffing, “Really? Have you seen how he looks at Henry? Or how he plays with him? Or that time you played tag with him and Jack- Spencer’s eyes were glued to you. That man was made to be a dad, and he’ll be a great dad.”

Piper’s voice got even quieter, almost a whisper, “I mean, what if he doesn’t want kids with  _ me? _ ”

Kassidy gaped at her, shaking her head, “What? You’re crazy.”

“That’s not crazy,” Piper argued, “It’s a perfectly rational thought to not want children with me. I mean, with my history of pill-popping and nose-diving depressive episodes, being a mother is the craziest ambition I could have,” her cheeks and nose grew a rosy red. Either from the autumn air or her anxiety, Kassidy wasn’t sure. 

“Spencer’s too practical to step into that with me. It isn’t crazy,” she added quietly.

“Yes, it is. Didn’t you hear me? He is  _ sooo  _ in love with you, Pipes. Like, he looks at you like you hung the moon and all the stars in the sky. He smiles every single time you walk into the room, even that one Tuesday when you didn’t have time to brush your hair and your makeup was-”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Piper cut her off, not wanting to remember that very unfortunate morning. 

“No, you don’t,” Kassidy huffed, making a show of puffing out her cheeks in ‘anger,’ before continuing, “You don’t see how he looks at you when you’re being so good with Jack and Henry. How his eyes watch everything you do. You don’t see how, when we work with kids and you get on their level to talk to them, the corners of his mouth go up like this,” she put her fingers on the corners of her lips, pushing them up into a ridiculous version of whatever smile she was describing to Piper, “and you don’t hear how he gushes about you to people in the precincts we visit.”

“Okay, should I be worried about how much you watch Spencer do all these things-- wait, he what?”

“Really? That’s the thing you’re going to focus on?” Kassidy crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing Piper, “You’re always in the field when he and I are working on the geo-profile and victimology and stuff, so you don’t get to hear him talk to the officers who bother us all day long. Or how he defended your honor that one time--”

Piper was grinning, but she looked exasperated, “Okay, okay Kass. I get it. He loves me.” Her cheeks were still a bit red, but it was nice to see her smiling. Kassidy smiled in return, “Good. And he will definitely want kids with you. Actually, you should tell him about your dreams. I can’t really tell you how to make them stop, nor can I help with the Irene part, but he should know.”

“I can’t tell him about my dreams,” Piper pouted, “He’s going to think I’m totally weird for dreaming about our kids who don’t exist. Also, we hyphenated-”

“You what?”

“I mean, our son’s name was Charlie Reid-Bishop and our daughter's name was Lydia Reid-Bishop. And Charlie’s a decent name, but Lydia? That had to be dream Spencer’s idea. It’s like we were asking for our future, non-existent, dream children to have bullies,” Piper explained, her nose scrunched up in thought.

“If anything, he’s going to love you even more, Pipes. You’re already worried about hyphenating and the possibility of these future children being bullied. Which they won’t, because they’re going to have the smartest, most loving, and coolest parents in the whole world,” Kassidy elbowed her in the side softly, “Spencer loves you so freaking much. You two are like… Princess Jasmine and Aladdin. Or Beauty and the Beast- oh! Or maybe like Cinderella and Prince Charming?” She paused, lost in thought, before bringing her eyes back to Piper’s, who was looking at her a little confused, “Anyways- if you ask me, please don’t do that. The hyphenating thing- I think it’s weird. Also, I love those names, like so, so, so much. Lydia? Adorable. Charlie? Perfect.”

Piper laughed, shaking her head, “Alright, your opinion has been duly noted,” she paused, “So, I’m tired of feeling sorry for myself, and I’m just about ready to stop being the center of attention. How about we turn this party around, and talk about you?”

“Me?” Kassidy shook her head, clearing her throat, “We don’t have to talk about me. Actually, I’d rather not-”

“Nope, you got to hear all about my demons and how I’m secretly a romantic who wants a future with my boyfriend, so it’s your turn,” Piper said, poking her nose with the tip of her finger and smiling.

Kassidy huffed, puffing her cheeks out- as she was known to do- “What would we even talk about? I’m single and I live alone with my cat, and I live on takeout when we’re actually home. And worse takeout when we’re on cases.”

“Oh my god, that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Piper replied, shaking her head, “Remind me to teach you how to make actual food that isn’t processed. Have you ever heard of a sandwich? Or rice?”

“Stop it,” Kassidy grumbled, trying not to smile as she cuddled into Piper’s side for warmth. The cool breeze was finally taking its toll on her, causing an involuntary shiver to run up her spine. She was pleasantly surprised when Piper complied, wrapping an arm around her and rubbing her hand up and down to create heat. Kassidy’s smile finally broke, but she wasn’t done bickering, “You’re being mean to me,” she said.

“Rossi already hates you for those ramen monstrosities you make, and your fridge? That’s the scariest thing I’ve ever seen,” Piper scoffed in retaliation, faking a shiver at the mention of the fridge, “You have nothing fresh in there. You barely have anything in there, and what is all processed and definitely bad for you.”

“I already told you,” Kassidy frowned, “We’re never home. I don’t have the time, or the energy, to get groceries.”

“There is no fixing you,” Piper replied dramatically, her sigh so melancholic it could move heaven and earth. Kassidy slapped her on the stomach lightly, playfully, still frowning, “Meanie,” she whispered to herself. 

After a moment she spoke a little louder, “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did,” Piper smirked, her voice light- obviously trying to get a rise out of her friend, like always. Kassidy didn’t really give her the chance, diving straight into her question, “Is that why you carry all those knives on you?”

Piper tensed beneath her, her body growing stiff, “Oh- I’m sorry, I just--”

“No, you’re all good,” Piper breathed, the tension in her shoulders releasing just slightly, “Uh, this team is just very ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ you know? We’re the type of family who keeps a lot to ourselves. Personally, I blame Gideon and Hotch for being all closed off,” she sighed, running her free hand through her soft hair. Kassidy could tell she had washed it recently, it was shiny and smelled nice, like vanilla and cardamom. Or so Piper told her that was what her shampoo smelled like. Kassidy didn’t really know what cardamom was. 

“Yeah, it’s why I carry the knives. It’s sort of a crutch for me,” Piper continued to explain, her finger twirling in her hair, “Just- I can’t leave home without them. Or sleep without them, which is kinda weird, considering she did the most damage with a knife.”

“Makes sense to me,” Kassidy shrugged, trying desperately not to yawn, “She hurt you with them, then you hurt her back. So you feel like you have the upper hand when you have them with you, leading to an overall sense of security. It also explains why you know so much about knives, and knife wounds,” she pointed out, her eyes flitting towards Piper’s arm, remembering what the scars looked like under her shirt sleeves.

Piper chuckled, “Look at that,” she murmured, “We’ll make a profiler out of you yet.”

“Hey!” Kassidy rose off of Piper’s shoulder, narrowing her eyes at her, “I am a profiler! That’s why I’m in the BAU.”

“Technically, you’re a victim specialist,” Piper replied, matching her stare, “Emily’s a linguistics expert. Penelope’s the technical analyst. Spencer’s the intelligence analyst-”

“Intelligence analyst? That sounds fake,” Kassidy interrupted. Piper shushed her before continuing, “Derek’s the explosives expert, and Rossi is just… he has experience,” she said finally, her bottom lip sticking out a little in thought on Rossi’s part. Kassidy poked her in the ribs, “Oh? And what about you?”

“Me?” Piper swatted Kassidy’s hand away, “I’m the behavioral expert. And the trauma counselor. And the juvenile victim specialist. And apparently,” she added dramatically, “the team’s therapist,” she scrunched up her nose, peering back into Kassidy’s apartment to see Emily hanging off the couch upside-down, “I should get paid more,” she whispered to herself. 

Penelope was drinking straight from a bottle of red wine. 

“And Hotch?” Kassidy asked, looking up at her, feeling a blush rise to the back of her neck when she mentioned his name, “You forgot about him.”

“Of course, you remembered him,” Piper mocked with a smirk.

“He’s our Unit Chief!” Kassidy sputtered, “how could you forget him? Don’t look at me like that,” she added when Piper arched an eyebrow.

“Yup, because he’s  _ so  _ unforgettable, right?” Piper teased, her smirk growing when Kassidy merely tried to glare at her. Emphasis on tried. She could feel her blush moving up her chest and towards her face, and hoped that it was dark enough for Piper not to notice, “You’re just trying to get a rise out of me,” she said. 

“Is it working?” Piper asked, chuckling a little at the responding ‘glare.’ She shook her head, “Fine, I surrender. Apparently, he used to be a litigator in Boston, most likely a prosecutor. My theory is that he got tired of seeing criminals getaway, so he got into law enforcement. Eventually rose to his current position today.”

“Your theory?” Kassidy asked, wincing when she heard something crash inside. She elected to ignore it after hearing Penelope shout, “Whoops!”

“You don’t know for sure?” She continued, looking up at Piper. Her friend shrugged, “Hotch barely talks about his personal life. Or blinks. Hell, I don’t know if he even breathes for sure,” she said with a smile, “I think Spencer and Penelope had a bet where they tried to catch him blinking once.”

Kassidy let out a laugh, shaking her head, “Of course he breathes- and blinks- he’s human too, you know.”

Piper fixed her with a serious look, “Are you sure? Have you actually seen him breathe? Or blink? Or even smile? I think he’s an FBI android, like from the movies-”

“Pipes, this isn’t a movie,” Kassidy poked her in the side, eliciting a small surprised yelp from Piper, who glared at her, “And yes, I’ve seen him  _ breathe _ . And blink,” she paused before adding, “and smile.” Her own smile was small, the blush finally reaching her cheeks. She kept her head bowed so Piper wouldn’t see. 

“Come on, Kass,” Piper sighed, smiling, “How long are you gonna keep lying to yourself about this?” Her smile was warm, kind, understanding even. Kassidy could see exactly why she was the teams ‘personal therapist.’ With a smile like that, it was inevitable. She shifted a little, pushing herself further into Piper’s space- however impossible it seemed- and kept her head bowed. 

“You know,” Piper licked her bottom lip in thought, “He actually smiles at work, and it’s no coincidence it happened exactly when you arrived. I know that you’re aware of the death of his ex-wife a little before that,” she noted, “and we all thought he would never smile again. Then you showed up and he started acting a bit like his old self again. And over time he became the stern leader we all knew and loved, but a stern leader who allowed himself to be, well, human. We joke that he’s not, but that’s because he didn’t use to act like it.” 

Piper’s arms wrapped around Kassidy, feeling her hands rubbing up and down her back, “Your pupils dilate like massive saucers when you see him. You physically tremble every time he steps in the same room as you. You certainly can’t stop thinking about him, and I know that because you get this distant, far off look where you tune the rest of us out. Like at the bar tonight,” she pointed out. Kassidy opened her mouth, about to go on some rant about,  _ “I thought we weren’t supposed to profile each other?”  _ But she didn’t get the chance, Piper was talking again. 

“Your eyes linger on him for half a second longer than you should. And every single reason to avoid him, to stay away, that you’re telling yourself right now are the exact same reasons I gave myself every damn time I thought a little long about Spencer.”

Kassidy’s words came out before she could think too hard on them, “But it’s like you said, he had just lost Haley- I couldn’t try to intrude on that? He was hurting, healing- he doesn’t need me anyways,” her blush was due more to nerves than embarrassment now, “And I’m so much younger than him-”

“You’re right,” Piper admitted, “he did lose Haley. I was there, I heard the shot. But it’s like you said, he’s human.  _ You  _ make him human. You make him happy, give him a reason to smile every day,” she said, poking Kassidy’s nose and forcing her to look up at her, “But if you keep waiting around for a sign, it’s going to blow up in your face. Spencer almost died from a strain of Anthrax for us to confess our feelings-”

“Spencer had Anthrax?” Kassidy’s eyes grew wide as she pulled away a little, “When did that happen? Why did nobody tell me there was ever an Anthrax case to begin with? What the heck-”

Piper put her finger on Kassidy’s lips, effectively shushing her, “That’s not important. What is important, is knowing that you can run away from Hotch, or this team, but believe me, you can’t run from your heart. I know from experience.” 

Kassidy made a point to pout, shaking her head just enough to dislodge Piper’s finger. She opened her mouth to say something, but a triumphant yell echoed from inside of the house, making the two of them glance towards the window worriedly. Kassidy wondered what Penny and Em were doing. 

“Look, your feelings are just as valid as your fears. I’m not expecting you to run to Hotch’s house in the pouring rain with a bowl of soup and a fairly awkward love confession. But I almost lost Spencer once. More than once, actually. Just-” Piper sighed, running her hand through her hair and pushing it out of her face, “Just be honest with yourself. You don’t have to admit it to anyone else, okay?” 

Another clang and a cry of pain lurched Piper from their fairly intense discussion, “I swear to God,” she murmured, pushing herself up from her perch, moving Kassidy away. Kassidy didn’t hear whatever Piper swore to, for she was already swinging her toned body through the window, slinking to the carpeted floor before using her ‘Mom’ voice on Emily and Penelope, leaving Kassidy alone in the darkness, her thoughts swirling around in her mind. 

She stood there, leaning against the sharp brick of her building, feeling it prick through her thin shirt into her back, and stared at the moon. The breeze had pushed all of the clouds from the sky now, so it was rather clear for September. She held herself, thinking on Piper’s words. 

So, yes, she had a  _ crush  _ on Hotch.  _ No, not a crush _ \- she wasn’t a high schooler. It was more serious than that. It was something with weight, something that clutched her heart every time she thought about him. And it was obvious to everyone. Or, it had to be, if she really did react the way Piper pointed out to her. Hotch was an expert profiler, and it didn’t take an expert to notice those changes about a person. So, did he know too? That was an embarrassing thought all on its own, one that made her hold herself a little tighter against the breeze. 

But it was like she knew, like she said, like Piper said, he had just lost Haley. That was the excuse she kept telling herself. When she met the team, he had barely been back and running the team as Unit Chief again due to his short absence after her death. They weren’t married anymore, but he was clearly still very shaken by the whole ordeal. He had still loved her. Kassidy couldn’t swoop in and try to make things better, because she couldn’t. 

Then there was the fact that he was about 12 years older than her. That was quite the age gap. Well, realistically it wouldn’t matter that much, and she knew a lot of people who loved each other with bigger age gaps. Reid could probably give her the statistics on marriages where the couple were at least 10 years apart. 

But, her heart ached. For Hotch. Even with all the doubt, the fear, the excuses, she still wanted to know him better. She wanted what Spencer and Piper had. Those little forehead kisses before they go their separate ways in the field. The hugs of desperation as they clung to each other afterward, thanking the Universe silently for keeping the other safe. The lingering looks and smiles shared across the bullpen. And, of course, the fact that they went home together at the end of the day, getting to be in each other's arms, together. 

Not alone, sitting in their dark apartment, eating ice cream from the carton and watching some documentary about elephants that they weren’t even paying attention to. Like her. 

She sighed, hearing Piper raise her voice inside, “What? Where did you even find that? Emily give that to me-” Kassidy chuckled to herself, shaking her head from side-to-side slowly. She yawned, closing her eyes for a moment. 

It had been a long day. She, as well as the others, probably needed to go to sleep. It wouldn’t be easy to convince Emily if she did happen to get into Kassidy’s wine, but it needed to be done. She decided to sit there for a moment longer, thinking back on the last hour (or two) of her and Piper’s conversation. 

Piper was odd. Being so insistent that Kassidy went for what she wanted, to go to Hotch and admit her feelings for him, while she herself was so afraid of telling Spencer about her dreams, about her desire to someday be a mom. She’d be a good mom, Kassidy knew. And Spencer would be an amazing dad. They were good for each other.

And she wondered, if they did have a son first, if they would name him Charlie. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading!  
> I wonder if Jack's soccer game is going to be successful?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Friday now! The girls join the rest of the team at the park where Jack is playing soccer. Some more hilarity ensues, all the while Kassidy is having a hard time being so close to Hotch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another round of Piper offering Kassidy advice that she will most likely ignore, and some cute Spiper fluff (the ship name for Spencer and Piper). Also I tried so hard not to take over and just have Kassidy stare at Hotch the whole time, so you're all welcome for that. (tbh I should write a whole thing about Kassidy observing Hotch over the course of a day tho- it's fun). 
> 
> Hungover Penny is a force to be reckoned with.

Friday morning wasn’t pleasant. For Piper or Kassidy, as they waited by the front door of the apartment, begrudgingly watching Penelope and Emily try to get their stuff together. Penelope kept whining about her head hurting, and Emily was already wearing sunglasses, even though they were inside.

“Well, if you drank enough water last night, you wouldn’t have a headache,” Piper remarked with her arms crossed. She was wearing dark, faded ripped jeans, surprisingly, considering her distaste for denim, and dark blue button-up as well as her usual leather jacket. Her hair was clipped back with her usual silver rings. 

Penelope shot her an icy glare, “It’s not my fault Emily broke out the wine while you two were off doing who-knows-what.” Despite her mood, Penelope was wearing a pretty green number with a matching headband and earrings. A green and brown leather bracelet dangled on her wrist, a gift no doubt from one of Piper’s birthdays.

Kassidy frowned, sadly glancing at the empty wine bottle on the counter, “That was a gift from Rossi,” she mumbled to herself. It wasn’t  _ really _ that big of a deal, especially since she knew he would buy her another one if she asked, but it was the principle of the matter. 

“Don’t worry about it, Kass,” Piper reassured, picking up her tells. “We’ll steal another bottle on pasta night.” She glanced down at her phone, almost every 30 seconds. Most likely checking the time. Or for a text. “Come on ladies,” she finally said with a sigh, “If you want coffee before we get to the field, we need to leave now. Or we’re going to be late to Jack’s game.”

Emily sighed, rather dramatically, throwing her bag over her shoulder, “Fine, fine. Coffee. That sounds good.” She had pulled off a beautiful turquoise wrap top, tucked into the silver belt of her black slacks, her earring a simple gold, bright against the dark hair that spilled over her shoulders.

Kassidy smiled a little, “You’re buying,” she pointed out, “for drinking an entire bottle of my wine.”

Piper clicked her tongue, “I’m surprised you had wine at all, considering you don’t have anything else in your pantry. Or fridge.”

“Wine doesn’t go bad?” She offered as an explanation as the last two girls finally walked out of the apartment. Kassidy closed and locked the door behind her, grinning at Penelope’s frowny face, “Hopefully your headache goes away before we get to the field. You know how little kids like to scream.”

“I hate you.”

It was Piper’s turn to sigh dramatically, “Where’s JJ when you need her? I feel like I’m babysitting a bunch of drunken toddlers.”

“Hey, I’m not drunk. I’m not even hungover!” Kassidy defended herself as she hurried down the stairs, her sundress twirling a little when she looked back up at her friends (who were moving way too slow). She had picked out a cute “vintage” 70’s inspired yellow dress, at Piper’s insistence.  _ “You just look cute in dresses,”  _ she had said with a shrug. Kassidy was 99% sure there was an ulterior motive behind it- most likely including Hotch- but she didn’t say anything about it. 

Also, she couldn’t argue, because the last time she tried to tell Piper that she most definitely wasn’t “cute,” Pipes won the argument. Somehow. With logic. Kassidy didn’t like when Piper used logic against her. 

Climbing into Emily’s car, the four were (finally) on their way to the park where Jack’s 1st-grade team was playing. He was still too young for the games to mean much in terms of winning versus losing, but the team still liked to support him when they were in town. It was a fun activity that got them all out of their houses and into the sunshine.

Ordering coffee in the Starbucks drive-thru was a bigger hassle than it should have been, but it made Kassidy laugh when she saw the absolute look of defeat on Piper’s face at Penelope’s  _ ridiculously sugary  _ and complicated order. Eventually, she rolled Penny’s window down and just had her order it, because there was no way Piper was going to remember to repeat it exactly. Emily was snickering, hiding her mouth behind her hand when Piper glared at her in the rearview. 

“It’s okay, Pipes,” Kassidy assured her with a smile, “You still love us, right?”

Piper inhaled deeply, mentally counted to four, then exhaled before answering. She peered at Kassidy from the corner of her eye, “You’re so lucky I love you guys.”

“Aww, we love you too!” Penny shouted from the back seat. Emily winced, “Garcia, volume,” she scolded. 

Once the drinks were paid for and handed out, Kassidy let out a content hum around the straw of her iced vanilla latte. Simple, sweet, and perfect. Heaven in a cup. Penelope’s drink, on the other hand, looked more like dessert with espresso shots poured over the top. It had everything from whipped cream to chocolate drizzle. Emily was happy with a basic black coffee that definitely burned her tongue- but she didn’t say anything. Piper’s lips upturned into the first smile of the day after she sipped from her iced chai, letting out a similar hum to Kassidy. 

The two glanced at each other, Kassidy smirking a little, and Piper rolling her eyes before refocusing on her driving. Penelope scoffed, “You two are doing that thing again.”

“What thing?” Kassidy asked, looking over her shoulder into the backseat.

“The thing,” Penelope waved her hands (and her frappuccino) around, “where you talk without words. It’s totally weird! I see you do it all the time. You have like, that thing twins have. Telepathy or something.”

“No?” Piper chuckled a little at the absurd accusation, “We don’t have a  _ thing _ . Or telepathy. There isn’t enough room in the brain for a biological radio frequency transmitter and receiver,” she said, as though it were the most obvious fact in the world.

Penelope frowned, groaning, “Pipes, it’s way too early for a science lesson-”

“You totally do have a thing,” Emily interrupted after sipping from her coffee, arching an eyebrow, “Maybe not telepathy, but a thing. I don’t know what you’re saying when you smile or wink or whatever it is you guys do, but you’re saying  _ something _ .”

“I can’t smile at my friends?” Kassidy asked, noticing they were getting closer to their destination. The park was a few blocks ahead, and she could already see cars parked on the side of the road for the “tournaments” that were happening all day. 

“I didn’t say you can’t smile, you just have a special smile for Piper. And she has a special smile back. It’s basically telepathy,” Emily pointed out, glancing out the window to watch a family walking a dog pass by. 

“It’s called profiling,” Piper scoffed, “Or just, reading people. Or smiling at your friends. There isn’t a thing.”

“Uh-huh,” Penelope decided to drop it, her sugar bomb of a frappuccino becoming more interesting. Kassidy shook her head a little, smiling, “You better finish that before we get out there, or all the kids are going to want it.” Penelope snorted but didn’t argue. 

By the time they found a decent parking space all of their coffees were gone. Emily stretched her hands above her head, groaning as she stepped out of the car. Her sunglasses didn’t seem to be helping, Kassidy noted, considering her face was screwed up into a grimace. Kassidy couldn’t help but poke fun, “I hope my wine was well worth it,” she teased. 

Emily sighed, “You know what? Yes. It was. It was delicious and worth it. Now stop talking about it and let’s go watch your boyfriend’s kid’s game-”

“Not my boyfriend,” Kassidy was quick to interrupt, her cheeks growing rosy red in a matter of seconds. It was barely after 10am and the teasing was already starting.

“And he’s not going to be if you don’t make a move soon,” Piper warned her, Kassidy throwing her a pointed look, begging her with her eyes to  _ please stop _ talking about it. “It’s just so I can say I told you so later,” Piper added with a shrug.

Kassidy groaned, covering her face with her hands as she walked away from them, “Okay, well, thanks for your advice, but I’m electing to ignore you--” Kassidy said before being interrupted. Again. 

“Take my word for it,” Spencer said from behind the group of girls, having just arrived with Derek, the latter shooting them all a charming smile. “Don’t ignore Piper.  _ Ever _ .”

Kassidy spun around so quickly her hair flew into her face- which was now beet red, “What? Spence- you didn’t hear what the advice was for, did you?” Oh lord, did the whole team need to know that Piper was pressuring her to admit her feelings to their frickin Unit Chief? Literally, the man who ran the BAU? Their boss? She begged whatever God there was to please give her some kind of mercy, especially as Derek threw his arm around Penelope’s shoulder and gave her a playful eyebrow wiggle.

“We heard nothing, Sunshine. You can stop looking like you saw a ghost now,” He chuckled at her small frown, poking her nose, “Just that Piper is the best at giving advice, apparently.” Kassidy wasn’t going to believe him so easily, but if it meant she was saved from a mortifying conversation with the entire BAU (excluding Hotch) right now, then she would let it drop.

“She is,” Penelope nodded, looking over at Piper to add something but pausing when their friend’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, thank god,” Piper cried in relief as Spencer’s arm wound around her waist, untying a huge knot between her shoulder blades. “A sober adult!” Spencer arched an eyebrow, his smile playful, “Was it that bad?”

“Worse,” Piper groaned, leaning her head against him, mumbling something into his chest. 

“It wasn’t that bad,” Emily pointed at Piper accusingly, “She’s being dramatic. Besides, she’s not the one who has a killer hangover right now.”

“You weren’t the one throwing out that asshole at the bar,” Piper remarked, narrowing her eyes at Emily.

“You did what?” Spencer turned to look at his girlfriend, forehead wrinkling with worry.

“Oh, yeah,” Kassidy nodded, her blush dissipating a little, “She probably broke his nose.”

Piper shrugged, “He should have kept his hands, and his creepy opinions, to himself.” 

Derek laughed, “That’s my girl,” he said as he started to steer Penelope towards the field, “I always know my baby girls are safe when Piper’s with them.” Emily followed them, a folding chair under her arm (that she pulled from the back of her car when Kassidy wasn’t paying attention- she should have thought about bringing chairs).

“Not your girl,” Piper shouted as he walked away. Spencer wasn’t ready to drop the subject, “Broke his nose?” He repeated Kassidy’s words, still looking down at her. She gave a half-hearted shrug, “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“Pipes, that’s assault,” he frowned, “You can get into some serious trouble for that.”

”He was about to grope Penelope,” Piper said quietly, not wanting to disturb the mood. “Besides, we’re all here and alive. And hungry,” she added. 

Kassidy nodded, “Yeah, we skipped breakfast because Pen and Em were taking too long to get up.”

“And because you have nothing to make breakfast with,” Piper said pointedly. “You’re lucky I could make dinner at all.”

Spencer sighed, his fingers running through his hair, “Right. I think Rossi said he was bringing snacks. Come on, let’s go.”

With the thought of snacks urging her on, Kassidy took off a bit faster than the couple, smiling widely when she spotted the soccer game they were there for. Behind her, Piper was easily tucked into Spencer’s arm, her eyes slightly squinty from a lack of sleep and the blinding sun.

Hotch was easy to pick out of the crowd of parents. 

It helped that he coached for Jack’s team, so he was standing closer to the soccer field than the others, his hands on his hips as he watched the kids kick the ball. He was wearing a black polo and jeans- and it was oddly domestic and normal. Kassidy couldn’t recall ever seeing him in a polo before, even when they went out to dinner, or had game nights at Rossi’s. It was just so… different. Seeing him out of a suit. It was nice. She could feel her smile growing as she got nearer, watching his hands cup around his mouth as her shouted something at the kids.

But she didn’t want to interrupt, so she turned to look for the rest of the team. Rossi was seated nearby under the shade of a tree. A cooler and a white folding table were set up beside him. There was an array of snacks and drinks on the table, things that must have looked appetizing to a hungover Penelope, since she was poking through everything. Derek was leaning against the tree, talking to Emily (even though Kassidy could see from here that she definitely had her eyes closed, and was probably on the verge of a nap). A couple of young moms’ stood a bit too close to Rossi, speaking to him. 

He didn’t look impressed with whatever it was they were saying. Kassidy watched as Piper made a beeline for his table, as though smelling Rossi’s food from where she stood next to Spencer. Dave almost looked relieved when she popped over, talking about their most recent case so that the young mothers dissipated. “This isn’t breakfast,” Piper said, jutting out her bottom lip. “This is just fruit. Romans had bigger breakfasts than this.”

“They also used to eat fish paste,” Spencer pointed out, walking over while shielding his face from the sun and Piper wrinkled her nose. “So careful what you wish for.” 

Kassidy came up beside them, kicking off her flip-flops before planting a kiss on David’s forehead, “Morning,” she mumbled. He smiled up at her with an eyebrow arched, “Good morning,  _ Bella _ . You get any sleep last night?”

“No,” she answered honestly, with a shrug. She smiled anyway, watching Piper pout over the snack selection.

“I think I saw a bakery a couple blocks away,” Piper said, running a hand through her hair. “I’m getting sustenance. Anyone want anything?”

“Cookies!” Penelope yelled out, poking Derek to ask if he wanted anything. “And a blueberry muffin.”

“I want a cinnamon roll,” Emily called out, staring at her phone. “And JJ would like a chocolate-chip muffin.”

“Got it. Rossi?” Piper asked. He mulled it over in thought, being a dramatic asshole. Kassidy smirked. 

“I will have a scone or a Danish.” Piper nodded firmly. “Hey, Kass, what about you?” 

“Oh! Maybe a cinnamon roll? No, what about a blueberry muffin? Actually,” she took a deep breath, her finger on her chin, “a cinnamon roll. Yeah, that’s what I want. Final answer.” 

“You sure that isn’t cannibalism?” Penelope joked from under her umbrella, making everyone chuckle loudly. Derek shook his head when Kassidy shot her a confused look, “What?”

“Nothing, Sunshine,” Penelope replied. “My humor is wasted on you people.” 

“Okay, that’s two cinnamon rolls, a scone or a Danish, a chocolate muffin, a blueberry muffin, and cookies. Oh, what about Hotch? What do you think he’d want?”

Before Kassidy had time to think it through, she’d already blurted out the answer. “Something simple, but not too sweet. Maybe a blondie?” Piper’s smirk was unmistakable and Kassidy couldn’t help the blush rising to her face. “B-But you should probably ask him anyway.”

“That’s okay,” Piper said, grinning devilishly as she walked backward. “I’m sure he’d only agree anyway.”

“Well, um, maybe we should still ask. And see if Jack wants something,” Kassidy said, rocking back on her heels, trying to hide her anxious fidgeting. She wasn’t even sure why she knew the answer so suddenly- well, that was a lie. She had bought breakfast for the team quite a few times while they were on cases, so she had most of their preferences memorized by now.  _ But still. _

“If you say so,” Piper smirked, poking her tongue out before running over to Hotch. He must have agreed with Kassidy, (just like Piper predicted) because her smug smile only broadened, and Kassidy could swear Piper  _ winked _ at her before asking Jack what he wanted as a treat. Spencer muttered some lame excuse to the others before joining Piper on the bakery trip, probably wanting to turn it into an impromptu breakfast date.

David tilted his sunglasses down a little, peeking up at Kassidy as she stood there, watching Spencer and Piper wander off the field, “What’s on your mind,  _ bella _ ?”

She blinked and looked down at him, the sound of screaming kids and clapping parents surrounding them on all sides. She could feel her smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, “Nothing. I’m just glad to have a weekend off to spend time with all of you. But um, I did come here to watch Jack play, so I’m going to go do that while we wait for the love-birds to come back.”

He only nodded, a knowing smile playing on his lips, and waved his hand as she hurried towards the game. She heard Derek tease Penelope, resulting in her smacking his arm, but decided to stay out of it. 

Walking up to the little soccer field, she could see Hotch clapping his hands, the largest grin on his features. He high-fived a boy who ran up to him, and then sent the boy back into the game. A couple soccer moms were standing nearby him, trying to get his attention whenever they could. A pit formed in her stomach at the sight of them laughing, one reaching out to touch his arm. She didn’t know what the pit was, but it was there. 

She slowed her descent. Maybe he wouldn’t want to be bothered? He was trying to coach the game, after all. It’s not like they had a super close out-of-work relationship, even though she greatly enjoyed coming to his son's games. In fact, she had come to almost every one of Jack’s games this summer so far (excluding one, where the whole team was in New Mexico for a case). And then there was Rossi’s dinner parties and game nights. Those were fun, and she often found herself looking to Hotch to make sure he thought so too. 

And during work, she was always looking for his praise. And giving it in return. And they talked a lot when they were on the jet, seated close together, everyone else sleeping. He told her about some of the team's past cases, about how Jack was doing in kindergarten, and how he was trying a new recipe soon. 

_ But it wasn’t like they really knew each other. _

All of a sudden, Piper’s words seemed to float back to her.  _ “He might not be your boyfriend if you don’t make a move soon.” _ Her taunts had never quite hit so hard as when she saw those women slide up to him, making the pit in her stomach grow deeper. But she tore her gaze away from him and to Jack, who was making his way towards the goal. 

Almost involuntarily, both Aaron and Kassidy yelled out Jack’s name, egging him on until the ball was kicked into the net and Jack, just a 6-year-old ball of energy, yelled out, happening to see Kassidy first instead of Aaron. Like a lightning bolt, the young blonde boy sprinted right towards her in glee and Aaron couldn’t help watch Kassidy hug him joyously. The women next to him forgotten, his gaze set on her. 

She had dropped to one knee to make sure she was at Jack’s height, his small arms wrapping around her as tightly as he could, “Kass! Did you see that? Did you see me make the goal?” He shouted right into her ear. She didn’t care, pulling back a little to smile broadly at him, “Yes, Jack, I saw! You’re the best soccer player I’ve ever met!” Which was a true statement, considering she had never met a soccer player. But Jack didn’t need to know that. 

He beamed at her, turning when Aaron approached them, “Dad! Look, Kass is here!”

“I see, buddy,” he smiled, his eyes lingering on her for a second longer than she had expected from him. She bit her bottom lip and smiled, trying  _ so hard _ to keep her blush at bay. She cleared her throat, “Yes, Jack, you know that I try to come to all of your games. Uncle Dave is here too,” she pointed beyond the field at the group, where David noticed her gesture and waved. Jack giggled, “Yeah, I saw him already. Is Piper back with my brownie yet?”

“You gotta be patient, Jack,” Aaron said with a tone that Kassidy could only describe as his “dad voice.” Jack huffed, “Alright.”

“You’re not quite done yet,” Aaron added, looking at his watch, “You have another round before we can take a break. So let’s get back out there,” he encouraged, Jack nodding enthusiastically. He hugged Kassidy once more before running back to the game. She stood up, wiping grass off her knees, her blush returning now that Jack wasn’t there to be a buffer between her and Aaron. 

“I’m glad you could make it,” Aaron said warmly before flushing slightly. “I, uh, I mean, Jack loves it when you’re at his games. All of you. We’re glad everyone could make it,” he amended, stumbling over his words.

Kassidy smiled, getting a good look at him for the first time since she had arrived. His face looked like he had gotten a bit of sun, his cheeks and nose a bit rosier than normal. He was smiling, and it was really nice to see. He didn’t do that often at work. She wanted to see it more. He had the smallest dimples on his cheeks when his smile was large enough. “Yeah, I’m glad I could make it too. We were almost late, well, we  _ were _ kinda late. I decided that we’re not doing Girls Nights on a school night anymore,” she said, glancing past him at the group. She could see JJ had recently arrived, with Henry sitting comfortably on Will’s shoulders. Penelope and Emily were both still in their sunglasses, arguing about something she couldn’t hear.

Aaron laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, “You look like you managed to survive,” he pointed out, “I couldn’t even tell that you had been out last night. You look,” he paused, his hand stopping mid-air as he was about to place it back on his hip. He swallowed and looked away from her, “Uh, well, good. The dress is--” he cleared his throat. “It suits you.”

Was he trying to make her a freaking tomato? Her friends at college always told her that she looked like a tomato when she blushed. She had hated it then, and she hated it now-- and Aaron Hotchner was doing a darn good job at tomato-fying her. His compliment was  _ definitely _ going straight to her head.

“Thank you,” she managed to squeak out, her voice betraying her. Why was everything against her today? She looked down at her dress, as if to remind herself of what she was wearing, “I uh, thrifted it. Most of my non-professional clothes are thrifted,” she laughed awkwardly. 

He nodded, but before he could say anything, Piper shouted from behind them, “We return, bearing breakfast fit for Roman kings!”

“Emperors,” Spencer corrected her, paper bags in his arms. Piper shot him a pointed glare, “There were 7 confirmed kings of Rome and I can list each one--”

“I will take your word for it,” Derek announced, just wanting his blueberry muffin. 

“Oh uh, breakfast,” Kassidy said nervously, taking a step back, “You should go gather Jack when this game is over. I’ll, um, see you… over there,” she pointed to where the group was set up. Aaron licked his bottom lip and smiled _ , _ making Kassidy’s knees go slightly weak, “Yeah. Go enjoy. See you guys in a little bit.” With that, he went back to the game, jumping right back into Coach Hotchner mode. 

The soccer moms noted his arrival and crowded him once more, trying to talk to him as he watched his team play. He didn’t seem to even notice them. 

Kassidy could crawl into a hole now- that would be fine. But no, there weren't any available holes to crawl into. So, instead, she hurried back to the group, smiling when she spotted Henry and JJ. Spencer was already engaged in a magic trick with his godson. Will was surprised at the beignet Piper had brought him, remembering they were famous in New Orleans. Penelope was feeding Derek bits of her cookie. Emily was cringing as David was yelling out formations. 

It made her smile, seeing her team outside of work like this.  _ Like a family, _ she recalled Derek telling her the first day she met him. And now she was a part of that family. 

Kassidy took a seat in the grass near Spencer, watching him engage with Henry with words that might be a little-too-big for the toddler to understand. Spencer paused his monologue long enough to hand her a paper bag, her cinnamon roll inside. She smiled at him in thanks, holding it firmly in her hands as she watched her  _ family _ around her. 

It was slightly surprising to her how Piper and Will had become good friends, especially considering how much she held a strong disdain towards Kevin. Although it wasn’t that hard to understand why, she supposed. Kevin never really showed up to these family gatherings, never seemed to try to be a part of the group. While Will always made the time for the BAU family. Of course, his schedule was unpredictable, but he always showed up when he could. 

Kassidy had the sneaking suspicion that he was particularly comfortable with Piper. His smile and relaxed body language, leaning against the snack table as he spoke to her, was proof enough. And Piper seemed engaged in whatever they were talking about too. They didn’t have a lot in common (as far as she was aware), but they had plenty to talk about.

Spencer was talking angles with Henry, which he probably didn’t understand, but babbled slightly to let the conversation keep going. Spencer clearly had enough words for the both of them. Kassidy giggled a little, watching how animated Spencer would be with his godson, and how Henry ate up every word of his godfather. 

From the corner of her eye, she watched a slow blush grow on Piper’s cheeks. The same blush she’d seen the night before. They must have been talking about Henry. She wondered if Piper’s mind was on the future Charlie and Lydia as she watched her boyfriend absolutely melt when Henry hugged him. 

JJ was standing beside Emily, poking fun at her messy hair and blood-shot eyes. Emily was blushing under the teasing, trying to hide her face as she groaned. She mumbled something along the lines of, “I wanna take a nap,” and JJ tsked her, shaking her head, “You shouldn’t have had an entire bottle of wine after already going out.”

Kassidy smirked.  _ Serves Em right for drinking the whole thing that she hadn’t even opened before last night- _

The thought was interrupted by Rossi’s sudden jumping to his feet, (making her flinch) yelling towards the soccer field, “Nigel! You need to defend Simon- oh for crying out loud,” he stalked away towards Aaron, in full ‘coaching’ mode. Emily laughed, “I was wondering how long it would take him to stay out of it. About 30 minutes, if anyone wants to know-”

Derek’s yell carried over Penelope’s head, making everyone’s eyes turn to him, “Piper! Cough up!” Piper’s brow furrowed, but before she could say anything Derek added, “You said 20 minutes.” She groaned loudly, excusing herself from Will to slap a 10 dollar bill into Derek’s hand. “Hey, we agreed on 15!”

“That was before I bought you the muffin,” Piper said, poking her tongue out before taking Rossi’s unoccupied chair. Kassidy made a face, “You guys were betting on Rossi?”

“You’re surprised?” JJ asked, sitting on the grass beside her, “I’m actually shocked Emily wasn’t a part of the bet,” she added. Emily shrugged, lifting her sunglasses to peek out from under them, “I decided I spent too much money at the bar last night, and I didn’t want to lose another dollar to those two idiots.”

“Idiots?” Derek scoffed, “At least I’m not a hungover mess on a Friday morning.”

She grumbled something, pushing her glasses back into place and taking a bite from her cinnamon roll, electing to ignore him. 

Kassidy smiled to herself, picking at her own cinnamon roll, “You two be nice. There are children present.”

“Sunshine, I’m always nice,” Derek feigned hurt, his hand over his heart, “How could you look at me and see anything but pure kindness?”

Penelope snorted. Kassidy smirked but chose not to say anything, giving him a noncommittal shrug. Piper rolled her eyes, lifting one leg and crossing it over the other. She looked oddly out-of-place in a camping chair to Kassidy. She was pretty sure Piper had never been camping before. Or, if she had, she probably hated it. 

Before long, David, Aaron, and Jack made their way over, having finished the game. Some other kids ran past towards their families, but Jack had his eyes set on Piper. He made a beeline straight for her, his body colliding with her legs as he leaned into her lap, “Piper! Did you get me a brownie?”

“Have I ever let you down?” Piper asked, grinning as Hotch followed. Her eyes asked a silent question and Aaron nodded subtly. She handed him the still-warm walnut brownie, smiling at how the young boy’s eyes lit up.

Kassidy watched the interaction, not lost on the face that Spencer was making, his eyes soft as he observed Piper ruffling Jack’s hair, the young Hotchner swatting at her hand with a laugh. She kind of wished she had a video camera so she could record all of this. Then maybe Piper would _ finally  _ believe her when she told her how much Spencer wanted a future with her too. She would have to settle for her silent observations and reassurances instead. 

JJ elbowed her, bringing her out of her thoughts with a frown, “What?” The other blonde pointed at David, trying (and failing) to hide her smile. Rossi was standing behind Piper, his hands on his hips, looking down at her. 

“You’re in my seat.”

She tilted her head back to look up at him. After a beat she arched an eyebrow, “Yep,” she said, turning back to Jack.

Rossi’s attempt to look stern was lost on her, and he sighed, taking a free seat nearby instead, “You’re a brat.”

Kassidy giggled, “You can’t talk to your daughter like that.”

“I don’t claim her,” he retorted. He wasn’t even trying to hide his smile as he shook his head, reaching for a bottle of water off the table. Spencer snorted.

“You love me,” Piper spoke up, not even looking at him. 

JJ stood, wiping some grass off of her jeans, before walking over to be with Will. Leaving a perfectly open and empty spot on the ground for someone to take-- Kassidy outright choked on her breakfast when Aaron took said spot, grunting as he sat down. She coughed into her hand, surprised by his sudden proximity. 

Piper snickered. Kassidy glared at her over her hand, silently pleading for her to  _ please, for the love of God, don’t make this weird.  _ (Maybe they did have a thing after all. Not telepathy. But a thing nonetheless). 

Aaron glanced at her, concerned, “You okay?”

“Yep,” she choked, coughing one more time to clear her throat, “I just um,” she motioned to her cinnamon roll, “swallowed wrong.”

Derek laughed, “That’s what she-” Penelope slapped his chest, making him stop. Kassidy’s face grew bright red as she groaned, closing her eyes. Aaron shot Derek a stern look, “Really, Morgan?”

“Yeah, really Morgan?” Piper mocked, smirking at him. He laughed again, turning his attention back to the now angry Penelope. 

“Need some water?” Rossi asked, handing Kassidy a bottle. She took it gratefully but didn’t attempt to open it. She was known for being on the clumsy side and didn’t really want to embarrass herself further by spilling water all over herself. Not today, anyway. 

“Wait, so who actually won the game?” Penelope asked, making everyone either chuckle or sigh heavily. Jack pouted mid-bite of his brownie.

“We did!” he yelled out emphatically and Derek could only laugh as Penelope got up, practically melting into apologies as she tried to crush Jack into a bone-squishing hug, making him cry out again to save his brownie from the very overwhelming embrace. 

Aaron leaned over towards Kassidy, his knee knocking into her’s just barely, “There really isn’t a winning team,” he explained quietly, “The age bracket he’s in just focuses on learning the sport and making friends. Next year he might be on an actual team.” She nodded, smiling as Penelope pulled away from Jack (not without marking him  _ forever _ with a kiss on the cheek, her pink lipstick leaving behind the perfect lip-stain; he was not impressed, wiping his hand over the spot she had planted her girl-cooties on). 

Glancing at Aaron, Kassidy felt her face warm up again. He was already watching her, and instead of looking away like he normally would, he just smiled, “What are your plans for the rest of the day?” He asked her. 

She swallowed, peering over at Piper, “I don’t know. Um, tomorrow is the baseball game, so I know I was going to go watch Piper and Derek kick the CIA guys butts-”

“You said butts,” Jack giggled. David arched an eyebrow, “Wow, I didn’t know that word was in your vocabulary.”

“Kassidy, you naughty girl,” Piper snickered loudly.

A hole. Could there be a hole somewhere nearby Kassidy could crawl into? Jack’s innocent giggle just made her want to hide her face behind her hands. It didn’t help that Dave and Piper were quick to pick on her. 

But then Aaron chuckled a little, and she bit her bottom lip to keep from being a complete weirdo and doing something she’d regret (what would she do? She didn’t know, but she didn’t  _ want _ to do it, whatever it was). He leaned back on his hands, the shade of the tree falling over him, “Well maybe we should do dinner tonight-” her heart rate somehow went from normal to this-is-probably-a-heart-attack-I’m-experiencing, before he cleared his throat, his fingers tapping in the grass, “All of us. We could go out?”

David gasped rather dramatically, “Go out? When you have a perfectly good chef right here? Aaron, I’m offended.”

“I dunno, Rossi,” Piper said, biting back a laugh. “I’m not really in the mood to cook for everyone.” Emily snickered so loudly, all the soccer moms stared at them.

“Clearly, I was talking about me,” David protested.

“I dunno,” Aaron deadpanned. “You did undercook those olives last week.”

“You cooked olives-?” Kassidy muttered, trying to wrap her head around someone  _ cooking  _ olives. That wasn’t on pizza. 

“See, what you do, Kass, is you heat up a frying pan with oil, and then you put the olives in and you cook until tender, not bloody crisp,” Piper said pointedly, directing her frustrations at both Rossi and Hughes. Rossi had the audacity to look offended. Kassidy was just confused, still wondering  _ why _ someone would cook olives. They were fine on their own, from a can. Although she was pretty sure that if she said that out loud, Piper might have a stroke.

Derek chuckled, standing from his spot, “Okay, well, whoever decides to cook, I’m down. As long as I don’t have to pay for dinner, I don’t care where we go.”

“Of course,” Penelope sighed, rolling her eyes. They looked much clearer and much less blood-shot now, Kassidy noted, “You’d go anywhere if you don’t have to pay,” she teased him. He shrugged, “Unless it’s a date. But I’m not taking my whole team out on a date.”

“You would if they were all female,” Spencer muttered, only within earshot of Piper and Derek, one of which snickered, the other slapping the back of his head. Kassidy jumped at the sudden “violence” from Derek, blinking wildly at them, “What-”

Aaron shook his head, “Morgan, be nice.”

Derek guffawed, “But Hotch, Reid was-”

“I don’t want to hear it. You’re adults, so act like it.” Even though his voice was stern, he had the smallest smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. It was fascinating to see him go from Agent Hotchner to Aaron in a blink of an eye. One moment, he was their unit chief, their boss, and then the next he was their friend, spending time with his family on his day off. 

Rossi clapped his hands together, “Alright folks, unless you all want a sunburn, I suggest we pack up. Dinner at mine at 6pm, so don’t be late,” he smiled, a mischievous sparkle in his eye as he looked right at Kassidy, “Make sure you all wear something nice. We’re going all out tonight.”

“Oh, do we have to?” Piper groaned, rising from her seat with Spencer’s very unnecessary help.

“Just because you’re allergic to dresses,” Penelope snickered, looping her arm through Derek’s

“It’s impractical and annoying,” Piper protested and Kassidy watched the two couples make their way to the carpark.

“If it helps, you always look beautiful in them,” Spencer murmured, making her blush slightly. God, she wished she could have something like that. She watched them bump shoulders softly and lacing their hands together, Spencer leaning down to kiss her forehead before reluctantly letting her go into Emily’s dark sedan with Penelope. She knew he was probably trying to convince her to come with them so Piper wouldn’t have to drive and Kassidy would have kept watching if not for Jack hugging her leg. She definitely wasn’t strong enough to lift him so she bent down to her knees in the grass. He wrapped his arms around her as best he could, getting on his tip-toes to make sure his hug was as good as it could be, “Bye-bye, Kass,” he said. 

She smiled, pulling him into a tight embrace, “Bye-bye, Jack. I’ll see you later, okay? You be good for your dad.” He grinned at her, a piece of brownie stuck on his cheek, “I will!” 

She released him after a beat longer, the young boy immediately running off towards his dad’s car, leaving behind his bag of soccer stuff. Standing back up, Kassidy could feel Aaron’s presence beside her, his smile in the corner of her eye. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, “So,” she turned her body towards him a little- he was much closer to her than she realized, making her clear her throat, “I guess I’ll see you at Rossi’s tonight?”

His eyes flickered over her face (if she blinked she would have missed it), before he spoke, “Yeah. I’m assuming that since he wants us dressed up, I should probably see if Jessica can watch Jack.” He seemed to be talking more to himself than her, but he was watching her rather intently. She swallowed, “I don’t think I have anything super fancy to wear,” her fingers were playing with a string on her dress, “So I hope I don’t stand out like a sore thumb.”

He didn’t even hesitate when he spoke again, “I’m sure whatever you wear will look amazing.”

Before she could completely register his words, Rossi was beside them, his hand clapping down on Aaron’s shoulder, “Come on kids, let’s pack up. Jack’s already standing by your car, Aaron.” He nodded, taking a step back and grabbing Jack’s bag. He smiled at her before walking away, “See you at 6:00.”   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! What do you guys think so far? LOL.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one where the girls prepare for the fancy-dinner at Rossi's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some emotions in this one, folks. But what is a fic that I write without some emotions, amiright?
> 
> Kassidy Hughes belongs to me  
> Piper Bishop belongs to @dralexreid

“Just tell me where we’re going!” Piper pleaded, itching to take the blindfold off. Spencer had barely given her time to change into a shirt and one of his sweater vests. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, a gold bracelet with a key charm dangling from her wrist. The sweater was one of his, a pretty diamond pattern of orange and blue, and Spencer had pouted because somehow his clothes always looked better on her than him. He didn’t particularly mind, though. He loved the scent of her perfume mixing with his cologne.

“No,” Spencer said with a laugh.”Patience is a virtue.” 

“What, sitting around and doing nothing, that’s a virtue?” she argued. Her knees were up on her seat next to Spencer, her fingers interlaced around them as she leant her head back on the seat. She could barely see anything in the gap underneath the blindfold.

“Do you trust me?” Spencer asked with a smirk as he turned a corner.

“If I say no, will you take this thing off?” After a beat of silence, Piper sighed. “Yes. I trust you implicitly. So either drive faster or take this thing off.” He chuckled again.

“We’re almost there,” he said.

“You said that 20 minutes ago,” Piper retorted, and finally, the car pulled to a stop. “Can I take it off now?”

“A few more minutes,” Spencer managed. She heard the door of his vintage car close next to him. For a single moment, panic set in until the door next to her opened, and Piper felt his warm hands clasp hers, pulling her out of the seat. She stumbled slightly as he guided her up the curb before pulling the blindfold off. The Smithsonian Institute towered in front of them, a large brown castle filled with remnants of the past.

“You’re so dramatic,” Piper murmured, lacing his hand through hers. “We’ve been here 12 times.”

“14 and a half,” Spencer pointed out, making Piper’s forehead furrow. “We drove past it once.” Piper laughed, and he couldn’t stop staring at how her hand rose to cover her smile, her finger resting just under her nose as her musical laugh rang out.

“Okay, so why today?” Piper asked, tucking his arm into hers, and he basked in her warmth and radiant eyes as they skipped up the steps.

“Today’s the last day for the French Revolution exhibition.” Piper snorted slightly.

“Which one?”

“Hilarious,” Spencer scoffed, making Piper smile broadly, especially as he opened the door for her first, and she pulled him inside, letting the tall door close behind them.

\--

“I don’t see why I can’t wear something from my closet,” Kassidy protested as the four women stormed the vintage thrift store. She was carrying so many bags, her arms felt like lead, and she was slightly jealous that Piper got to go on a fun date while she had to go through this torture. Although, maybe if she just told Aaron how she felt, then she wouldn’t have to be here. Maybe she’d be with him and Jack instead, doing something,  _ anything _ , that was better than being here. Her mind wandered to what he might wear that night. He always looked good in a suit.

“What about this one?” JJ asked, pulling a peach pink dress from the rack. The dress was tight around the waist, pink buttons going down the front, and the shoulders were slightly ruffled. But as much as Kassidy would have said yes, the question wasn’t directed at her.

“No, it doesn’t show off her figure,” Emily said, almost dismissively as she went through each rack before pulling out a white dress with yellow butterflies dotted over the fabric, a sash around the waist. 

“That looks like a nightgown,” Penelope scoffed. “This one’s perfect.” She pulled out a beautiful canary-yellow dress with lapels on the chest. “It even has pockets!”

“Oh my god,” JJ cried. “You’d look like Kirsten Dunst!” Emily held her hands on either side of her hips, analyzing the dress.

“Doesn’t scream dinner party to me,” Emily said, sighing softly. “But it is a nice dress. It’d look amazing with a golden belt.” Penelope took what she got, folding the dress in her arms, murmuring something about a future brunch date which Emily agreed with wholly. 

“Don’t I get a say?” Kassidy asked, jutting her bottom lip out slightly.

“No,” they said simultaneously, still discussing until Penelope’s eyes widened, and she rushed over to pick up a dress from one of the racks. Kassidy could barely see it as a jubilant Penelope turned around, showing the dress to the others who surprisingly approved. Kassidy pouted, “Can I at least see whatever it is you’re going to force me to wear tonight?” Honestly, she was terrified that it was going to be a little too scandalous for her taste. Earlier, Emily mentioned something about finding a ‘low-cut’ dress for her,  _ “To show off your pretty neck.”  _

“No,” JJ hummed, taking the dress from Penelope and keeping it well hidden behind her bag, “That would ruin the surprise.”

“You guys are so mean-”

“You love us. And you’ll love us more when you see what we picked for you,” Emily said with a wag of her finger, walking past her, “Now we need to find you some shoes.”

“Yes! Shoes!” Penelope skipped past the group and hurried towards the various shoe racks, her heels clicking on the tile floors. “What size are your feet, Kass?” That was a question Kassidy didn’t know she would be getting after joining the FBI, but here she was, being asked about her feet. 

She groaned. If she was jealous of Piper before, it was a thousand times worse now. She’d give anything to be at the library, or the museum- or with Aaron- right now. He was probably helping Jack get his things together to stay with his aunt Jessica tonight. She recalled JJ saying something about getting a babysitter for Henry too, meaning this was an “adult’s only” party at Rossi’s. 

She barely noticed the pair of heels Penelope held up to show Emily and JJ, the three agreeing that they would go well with the dress. The height of said heels made Kassidy wary, “I will break my ankles if I wear those,” she protested. Penelope rolled her eyes, “You’ll be fine. If I could do it, you can too.”

With their treasures secured, JJ took them to the check-out stand. Kassidy sighed, letting her head drop back as she stared at the ceiling, “I hope Piper is having more fun than I am,” she mumbled to herself.

\--

“So, historians disagree about why the revolution happened,” Piper rambled on as they walked down the halls together, clutching pinkies as they observed the art. “It wasn’t exactly because of the inferiority of the nation, more because the economic and intellectual development was more advanced than the social and political conditions. You had the bourgeois classes which couldn’t exercise a measurable influence compared to the monarchy, and even though Louis destroyed the roots of feudalism, they still had outward feudal forms.” 

Spencer was trying to cling to each word, but he kept getting distracted by the sound of her voice, which was strange and slightly paradoxical. Instead of actively listening, he let her voice wash over him. He loved taking her to these events, places that freed her from the need to be a cool badass. 

“Then there are the super backward farming methods, and the internal tariff barriers means you’ve got recurring food shortage and overpopulation and bam! People crowding the street demanding bread from a guy in a wig who’s probably never been to a farm in his life.” Spencer smiled distantly, making Piper wince slightly. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

“Mhmm,” Spencer said, grinning broadly. “But I asked for it.” Which he meant. She had a master’s in history. He would have been surprised if she didn’t have a single opinion or factoid to tell him. “Come on, I want to hit the gift shop,” he said, pulling her arm gently.

“This isn’t a gift for Henry, is it?” Piper asked, taking a few quick steps to walk in pace with him. “The last time you got him something, he put a vintage train replica in his mouth.” But Spencer was determined to be a good godfather. Piper couldn’t help her wandering thoughts, imagining Spencer with their children, having to stop her thoughts before she had a panic attack in the museum gift shop. It wasn’t working.

_ “He is sooo in love with you, Pipes,” Kassidy had said. “Like, he looks at you like you hung the moon and all the stars in the sky. He smiles every single time you walk into the room. You don’t see how he looks at you when you’re being so good with Jack and Henry. How his eyes watch everything you do.” _

“Spencer,” she said, her voice terribly soft, Kassidy’s words flooding back to her as she trembled slightly. They were in a busy hallway, with at least a dozen or two people in the exhibition entrance. Spencer looked back, his forehead wrinkled at Piper’s downcast expression. “I, um, I need to uh,” she stumbled over her words. Spencer moved closer, placing each of her hands in his own.

“Is everything okay?” Spencer asked gently. “Do you want to go home?” He knew she had panic attacks, but he’d also read that almost anything could be a trigger.

“Can--can we go outside?” Piper managed to get out. He nodded, guiding her outside slowly. The sun was just starting its descent, shining soft light on the steps of the museum. Piper closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her eyelids, soothing her. “I need to tell you something,” she whispered, terrified of what she was about to say. “About my--my nightmares,” she confessed.

“Baby, if you’re not ready, you don’t have to--”

“If I don’t get this out now, I might never get the courage to tell you,” she said softly, her eyes opening just a crack. “I had a dream when I was kidnapped. About us.” Spencer’s brow furrowed slowly.

“A good dream or--”

“Yeah, a good dream. You and me, a house in Virginia, and…” Her voice cracked, her eyes closing again. “And our kids,” she whispered, a tear falling down. She felt his finger brush up to catch it. “But I keep having these nightmares, and it’s paralyzing.” Spencer pressed a hand to her cheek, his fingers brushing the roots of her dark brown hair.

“She’s gone, Pipes. She can’t hurt you anymore.”

“Irene shoots her. Point blank. Our little girl died, and there was nothing I could do, and I know it’s weird and stupid and if you--” Spencer’s lips crashed into hers, oblivious to the stares of passers-by. With one touch and one embrace, all of her doubts and her fears washed away, and he pulled away, resting his chin on her head.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Piper sniffled against his chest.

“I thought you’d find it weird. That I’m dreaming about our future children when we haven’t even moved in together yet.” 

“So, this dream universe, did I take your name or did you take mine?” Spencer asked, making Piper laugh.

“We hyphenated.” Spencer jutted out his bottom lip.

“See, that makes sense because, in reality, we’d never hyphenate,” Spencer said, taking the whole thing far too seriously. “I’d take your name because sharing the same last name as a chess piece is definitely cool--” Piper chuckled loudly-- “And you’d be an amazing mom.”

“You don’t know that,” Piper countered.

“Really?” Spencer said. “Pipes, if you can survive girls’ night, you can do anything. And if you don’t trust yourself, trust me.”

“Implicitly,” Piper said, tucking herself into his arms. Her phone buzzed, and Spencer groaned.

“Don’t do it,” he grimaced as Piper reached into the pocket of her dark dress. “Don’t--it’s probably just your water reminder, and you’re checking it.”

“Sorry, babe. It’s the girls. I gotta go.”

“No, you don’t,” Spencer insisted, pulling her wrist back. “They had you Thursday night; that’s plenty. You need a break.” Piper pressed a small kiss to his lips.

“I will be all yours tonight, but I really need to go.”

“Emily’s got a spare key,” he whined.

“Yeah, and she’ll break into my liquor cabinet--”

“Which you shouldn’t have,” Spencer added, and Piper smiled, giving him a long, sweet kiss.

“And I really have to go, or Penelope will shoot you with Emily’s gun.”

“Fair enough,” he said, releasing her. “At least let me drop you off.”

\-- 

The last 24 hours were nothing short of  _ exhausting _ . Kassidy wasn’t exactly sure how she ended up in these situations, yet here she was, sitting on Piper’s couch while her friends poked and prodded her face and hair. 

The dinner party was in about an hour, giving them ample time to get dressed and ready for a night of  _ “going all out,” _ as Rossi said. Penelope was already in her dress, a pretty blue and black piece with a flower pattern (lilies, Kassidy was sure) along her waistline and chest area. She had her hair done up already too, pretty ringlets framing her face. Her glasses were a matching navy color to her dress (Kassidy wondered if she had a different colored pair for everything).

JJ was in the bathroom, and Piper was in her bedroom, currently getting into their own dresses, while Emily was brushing Kassidy’s hair, talking idly about the last case. Penelope applied something to Kassidy’s face (blush?) and scoffed, “Em, really? We’re trying to relax and have an amazing weekend with our family. We don’t need to be talking about work,” she was pouting. Emily sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. We should be talking about how pretty our little Sunshine is,” she teased. 

Kassidy blushed, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, “For the last time, please stop making fun of me-”

“Oh honey,” Penelope paused her assault on Kassidy’s cheeks, “We’re not making fun of you. You really are pretty, you know that? And with the dress we picked out for you, you’re going to be the belle of the ball.”

“Yep,” Emily picked up a curling iron, “I bet Hotch won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”

If it wouldn’t mess up her makeup, Kassidy would have hidden her face behind her hands. But since Penelope had already spent 20 minutes applying everything from concealer to eyeliner on her, she chose to close her eyes and gasp, “Have you been talking to Piper?”

Emily scoffed, a playful smile playing on her lips, “No. I have eyes, Kass. We all do.”

She groaned, her eyes still closed, “Is that why you guys won’t let me see the dress? It’s scandalous, isn’t it? It’s totally inappropriate, I knew it. You’re trying to set something up, I can feel it.”

Piper chuckled, making her peek open her eyes to see her friend standing nearby, arms crossed over her chest, “Don’t worry your pretty little head, Kass. I saw the dress, it’s not that bad.” Somehow that didn’t make her feel any better. If anything, she grew more concerned, sighing and holding back the urge to tuck her bangs back, “You’re all very mean, and horrible friends.”

Penelope laughed, picking around her makeup bag, “No, we’re amazing friends, and we love you. So hold still while I finish your face.” 

Kassidy did as she was told, her hands in her lap, her eyes focusing past Penny, so she didn’t have to see the mascara wand coming right at her. She smiled at Piper, who looked a little lost in thought. “You okay?”

Piper blinked, catching her gaze. She smiled a little, “Yeah. I’m fine.” She looked radiant, Kassidy thought. She had managed to pull off a burgundy knit top, tucked into the gold and auburn belt of her ruffled peach skirt that stopped at her ankles, showing off her brown heeled boots. Her hair was down, naturally wavy, and naturally angelic. She didn’t do too much, makeup-wise, but she didn’t have to. Kassidy always thought her friends were beautiful, pretty,  _ everything she wasn’t _ . She couldn’t help the way she smiled when seeing them all dressed up for a night like this. 

“I feel like you’re not fine,” she replied after a moment. Emily paused her curling, the heat from the iron a little too close to the back of Kassidy’s neck, “Pipes,” she said slowly, “You do have a pretty far-off look in your eyes.”

“I’m fine,” Piper insisted. “Just thinking. I’m allowed to think,” she arched an eyebrow as she checked her phone, “And you guys better hurry up. Dave made a point to say not to be late, so we better listen.”

“Since when do you listen to Rossi?” Kassidy teased, sticking her tongue out. Piper smirked and walked away, waving her off, “Since I’m not cooking tonight,” was her reply. 

“Alright gorgeous,” Penny grinned, “I think I’m finished with you. Time to go get dressed!”

A pit formed in Kassidy’s stomach. The same nervous pit that she was unfortunately well acquainted with, but never used to. “Pipes?” She squeaked, “If, uh, I don’t like the dress, do you have something I could borrow?”

“No,” Piper called from the kitchen. Great.

Emily stood her up, admiring her handiwork, “Alright, Miss Kassidy Hughes, let’s get you into that dress. No backing out now.”

“Not like I had a choice,” she muttered under her breath as Emily guided her towards Piper’s bedroom. Laying on the bed was the mysterious dress, and against her better judgment, Kassidy found herself admiring it. It wasn’t the ‘tiny black dress’ that she had been envisioning, nor a sexy red dress with a horrendous V-cut in the chest. It actually looked like something she would wear. 

On the floor were the heels Penny had picked for her, white and recently shined, with a tiny strap that wrapped around the ankle. The straps had small white bows (made of plastic) where they would clip together. 

The dress itself was an off-white color, not quite cream but close. There were lacy patterns along the seams and at the bottom of the skirt, a matching sash wrapped around the waist. The sleeves were off-the-shoulder, which  _ was  _ a bit too much skin for her on a typical day, but with this particular dress, it looked beautiful. Very right. 

Emily left with a click of the door, leaving her alone in Piper’s bedroom, staring at this dress. She picked it up, holding it against her figure, admiring it in the mirror. It kind of looked like a vintage wedding dress, maybe something from the ’70s, that had been modified. She would never tell the girls, but it was quickly becoming her favorite. 

_ Maybe they knew her tastes after all? _

Not even ten minutes passed before she emerged, slightly unbalanced in the heels, shocked to see four faces all watching her. She blushed, pushing some of her hair from her face, “So um, how do I look?”

“Stunning,” JJ answered, smiling brightly. 

“Huh, Pen, you did a decent job,” Piper smirked. “The lady might win her man after all.” Kassidy blushed fiercely, and Emily whistled loudly.

“Hey, Pen, what about Kevin?” Kassidy asked, trying to change the conversation. “Is he coming?” The mood dropped about seven tonnes in Piper’s apartment.

“I think he’s busy,” Penelope chirped, but Piper’s face had turned dark at the answer, not pleased with how Penelope was covering it up. Wanting to avoid an argument, Emily piped up next.

“Pipes, are you gonna come with us or your bike?”

“Don’t ask silly questions,” Piper said, making Emily laugh broadly. “Who fancies a bike ride in the dusk?” Kassidy was quick to volunteer, and Piper whirled into the bedroom without a response, confusing the rest of them until she came out with a canary yellow helmet and scarf. “You should probably wrap up your hair, so the wind doesn’t ruin the curls,” Piper said, handing her both. “See ya, girls,” Piper said with a smile as she grabbed her keys.

“Not if we see you first,” Penelope cried out, but Piper snorted as Kassidy followed, her curls securely protected by the pale yellow scarf. She tucked the yellow helmet under her arm, like Piper always did, almost dropping it in the process.

“Fat chance.” JJ groaned, knowing the exchange meant that Emily and Piper would try and battle it out to Rossi’s mansion, probably resulting in a near accident.

Kassidy was hurrying after Piper down the steps, her heels making the trek a little more challenging than it should have been. She gripped the railing for support, “Pipes, I’m going to break my foot-”

Piper stopped and spun around, sighing, “No, you’re not. You’re fine. But, if you fall, I’ll catch you, okay?”

That didn’t really make it better, but it was something. At least Piper seemed to slow down, even if only a tiny bit. 

Once outside, Piper threw on her own helmet with ease, climbing onto her bike. Kassidy struggled a little, trying to look as cool as Piper did-- with little luck. She could hear Piper’s snicker, “Hey, I’m not used to wearing helmets,” she tried to defend herself. She had a cute little scooter she would ride sometimes, but that only required a bike helmet, not one of these big bulky motorcycle helmets. 

Once on the bike, the two spotted the other girls coming out of the building. Penelope waved as Piper revved the bike, “See you soon, my loves!” she called dramatically. Emily was rushing to her car, JJ not far behind. Kassidy gripped her arms around Piper’s waist a little tighter, “Pipes, you’re not racing Em, are you-” 

She yelped as the bike took off, a bit faster than she anticipated. “Kass, you’re squeezing,” Piper squeaked out, eager to stay ahead of Emily’s sedan. “Hold on,” Piper called out before making a tight turn left, and Kassidy shrieked, burying her head into Piper’s shoulder.  _ Does she want me to let go or hold on? Make up your mind, Pipes!  _

Piper won the race by a long shot. The moment Emily pulled up behind them, Kassidy unstable on her feet as she wobbled away from the bike, Emily shouted, “You cheated! You can’t just move through traffic like that!” Kassidy grabbed Piper’s arm, steadying herself. Heels and fast bikes did not go well together. 

Piper grinned, shrugging, “I can, and I did. Too bad your car isn’t thin enough to pass on the side like I can.”

JJ brushed down her dress, straightening it the best she could, “Alright girls, play nice.” Piper only poked her tongue out at Emily, dropping her keys in her purse.

Kassidy released Piper’s arm, “Well, I am still alive,” she said as she unbuckled her helmet, making sure to be careful as she pulled it off. She looked at Piper to make sure her hair still looked okay, receiving a thumbs up. “And my hair is saved.” 

Penelope skipped up to them, snaking her arm through Kassidy’s on one side and Piper’s on the other, “Come on, ladies, we have a dinner to attend! And some boys to impress!”

“Yeah, but Derek’s late as usual, so our grand entrance is screwed,” JJ sighed, looping her arm through Emily’s.

“Well, we can always impress Will and Hotch instead,” Emily said, grinning at the two blondes on her arm. They stood in a straight line, grinning goofily until Piper voiced a concern.

“Ladies, we aren’t going to fit through the door like this,” she said, chuckling to herself as she unhooked her arm from Penelope and stepped forward, ringing Rossi’s doorbell.

Not a moment later and the door opened, Rossi grinning at the group of girls on his porch, “Ah! Wow, look at all of you,” he placed his hands on Piper’s shoulders, pulling her in for a peck on each cheek, ignoring her grimace,  _ “Sei Bellissima.” _ Piper pulled away from him, looking him up and down before grinning, “You actually look decent,” she teased. He swatted at her arm as she walked inside, turning his attention to Penelope, who was bouncing on her feet in anticipation of her own cheek-kisses. 

With a chuckle, he indulged her, followed by Emily, Kassidy, and JJ. His hand stilled Kassidy before she could go inside, and she gave him a quizzical look, “What is it?”

“Nothing,” he smiled, “I just wanted to tell you that you look beautiful.” He cupped her cheeks in his hands and planted a kiss on the crown of her head, making her giggle, “All grown up,” he muttered to himself. She pulled away, feeling rather shy from all the compliments, “Thank you, Rossi.” 

He led her inside, a hand on her back, as they walked towards the kitchen. Everyone (aside from Derek and Spencer, fashionably late as always) was standing around the island, still greeting each other. 

Will was laughing, watching Piper and Emily miming along to the song playing on David’s gramophone, because of course, he still had one of those. Aaron was shaking his head, chuckling slightly, and Kassidy could swear her breath hitched. She’d always seen Hotch in a suit, but never in a vest and certainly not with his sleeves rolled up to his forearms. The vest was charcoal black, with small silver diamond patterns on the outside. He had a black tie-- something she was used to seeing, but somehow with the vest and white button-up combo, it looked so much more… well, a word she didn’t usually use in her vocabulary. His smile was so genuine. She forgot how to breathe. 

The music reached a crescendo, and Penelope pulled Kassidy into the group, forcing her to sway with the rest of them. She must have gone entirely red as Aaron’s gaze lingered on her frame.  _ It was probably nothing, and he probably looked at all of them like that, for exactly that long _ , and suddenly Kassidy felt very exposed in her pale yellow dress. Because his gaze was still set on her, even as Penelope twirled her and Rossi clapped nearby. She could feel his eyes looking her up and down, then settling on her face.  _ She kind of liked it. _

She couldn’t help the soft smile forming on her lips, especially as she noticed Will with the same look on his face as he watched JJ being twirled by both Emily and Piper. Laughter was echoing around the room, filling the space with a warmth that felt like  _ home _ . 

Eventually, Rossi, laughing, started shooing everyone away from the kitchen, “Alright kids, go on. Dinner’s almost ready. I’ll call you back in when I need help setting the table.”

“Good, so we’re not too late then,” Derek announced as he joined the group, making a beeline for Penelope’s side. Piper grinned as  _ Vienna _ began playing next but going slack-jawed as Spencer arrived, fiddling with his cuffs. Spencer was wearing a tight vest with white buttons going down the front atop a crisp white shirt, slightly unbuttoned at the top. Whether he’d forgotten his tie or simply wasn’t bothered with it was a mystery, but his suit jacket looked good on him if not for the awkward expression on his face, the slight pout as he couldn’t fix his cufflinks. Emily couldn’t help poking Piper in the ribs. 

“Careful, a fly might go in there,” JJ whispered before being dragged playfully into the living room by Will. Derek grinned as he left with Penelope too, winking at Piper. She almost wanted to slap his arm, but instead, she stepped towards her tall boyfriend, trying to stamp out the butterflies in her stomach. 

“Here, let me,” she offered, taking his hand in her own. They were out of sight from the kitchen and living room, right near the door, and Spencer couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her brown eyes were trained on fixing the cufflinks, so they stayed in place. 

“You look beautiful,” Spencer murmured. Piper tried to quell the slow smile spreading on her face. Emphasis on tried.

“You look good too,” she managed, taking his other hand, trying not to turn into an absolute idiot in front of the resident genius.

“Forget the cuffs,” he whispered, his lips inches from hers. Grinning, she closed the gap, kissing him slowly and sweetly.

“They’re gonna see,” she murmured against his lips. But Spencer’s hands had slid up her cheeks, tangling in the roots of her hair. 

“No, they won’t,” he whispered, pushing her slightly, so her back came up against the wall. She giggled as their noses bumped against each other as he tried to get a better angle. 

“Piper!” Penelope yelled out. “How do you make those bellini things again?” Spencer cursed under his breath, resting his forehead on hers. 

“Only she could have that kind of timing,” he whispered, and Piper chuckled slightly, pressing a kiss to his nose before ducking under his arms and running a hand through her hair and exhaling deeply before turning the corner, resuming her calm composure.  _ Hotch taught her well, _ Spencer thought. He cleared his throat, straightening his vest before waiting a beat and then following her, only rushing over when he saw Emily trying to wrestle the bottle of wine from Derek’s hands.

Rossi was pulling something from the oven, the smell of fresh bread, roasted garlic, and fennel taking over the room. He set the tray down carefully and pulled his over mitts off, “Okay, who wants to help set the table?” He already knew who was about to offer, a smirk playing its way on his lips as Kassidy peeked in from the living room, “I will!” she called. 

“Don’t let her eat all the garlic bread!” Piper yelled in between, pouring a mix of peach juice and champagne for everyone.

“I would never,” Kassidy pouted, going straight for Rossi’s dishware. She pulled down the plates, making a mental count of everyone there. _ Let’s see, Rossi, Aaron, JJ, and Will, Derek, Penelope, Emily, Piper, and Spencer _ . And herself, of course. Ten plates for ten people. 

As she started settling the table (it was already gorgeous, a new bouquet in the center, with a fancy-looking table runner), she felt a presence beside her. Someone started placing down silverware, helping her out. She peeked over at them, expecting JJ, or maybe Penny, but was surprised to see Aaron. He shrugged at the look on her face, smiling, “I’m trying to avoid the argument between Morgan and Prentiss,” he supplied. She nodded, dumbly, holding back a smile, “I thought you were used to settling them down. You are their Unit Chief.” Aaron chuckled warmly.

“Not tonight, I’m not.”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, forgetting about the lipstick Penelope had painstakingly applied on her. She tucked some hair behind her ear, “Then what are you tonight, Hotch?”

He paused, setting a fork down on one of the placemats, “Tonight,” he mused, meeting her gaze, “I’m just Aaron. We’re all friends, spending time together. There’s no case that needs us, no world to be saving.”

She swallowed, her feet shuffling a little as she tore her gaze from him, finishing up the placements, “I guess, if you’re Aaron, then I’m not Hughes. I’m Kassidy.”

He chuckled a little, walking around the table and setting out some napkins, “Kassidy.” He said her name so quietly she almost missed it. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to reel in her smile, not realizing the same goofy smile was splayed on Aaron’s face. Although if she had seen it, she’d have chalked it up to Emily challenging David to sing  _ We Didn’t Start The Fire _ word for word.

The sound of heels on expensive linoleum floors distracted her as Penelope wrapped her arms around her, “Hey gorgeous!” She shouted into Kassidy’s ear. She flinched.

“Are you drunk again, Pen?” Kassidy sighed. She finally saw why Piper was always so exhausted. She was constantly surrounded by drunk toddlers. 

“No,” Penelope frowned, “I haven’t had any wine yet. Am I not allowed to call you gorgeous? It’s true, you know. Right bossman?” 

“Although it’s true,” Aaron said, smiling softly. “I’m not sure Kassidy appreciates being yelled at in her ear, Penelope.” Kassidy was definitely blushing now.  _ Get a grip, Kass. He didn’t actually call you gorgeous. _

Penelope’s jaw dropped as she pulled away from Kassidy (just a little), “Hotch, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call me by my first name before. Or Kass-” her eyes widened a little, then a terrifyingly scary smirk crossed her lips, “But uh, yeah. Anyways, Rossi said dinner is ready to be served. So…” She twirled a lock of her hair in her finger. Kassidy was, once again, thinking about being swallowed up in a hole. She really didn’t need Penny in on all of this too. 

She was saved by Piper poking her head into the dining room, “Come on, Pen, you said you would help carry everything to the table.” 

“Coming,” Penelope called over her shoulder. She waggled her eyebrows at Kassidy before turning back to the kitchen. 

_ Yes, a hole. If the ground could open up right now, that would be great _ . 

Aaron shook his head, still smiling, and looked up at her, “You’re brave, for dealing with her all day long.”

Something like a laugh escaped Kassidy, but it was a bit strangled, “Um, brave, sure,” she squeaked, the sudden desire to straighten her dress taking over, “She’s not that bad. She’s just being… Penny.” The fact that her dress was off-the-shoulder was suddenly very upsetting. No, not really, but her shoulders and chest were going to be red too if she kept blushing like this. 

“Well, according to Piper’s stories, I’m not sure how you all survive those nights out,” Aaron chuckled.

“Piper’s a drama queen,” Kassidy scoffed, wondering what kind of stories she might say about her, sharing a small smile with Aaron. He took a step back as their friends reappeared, bringing in plates and bowls of various colors and sizes, placing them on the table. 

Kassidy fidgeted with her fingers, that nervous pit growing in her stomach again. Why? She was doing just fine-- sort of-- and hadn’t felt anxious up until this point. Maybe it was the way Penelope had elbowed her when she walked by, or the look Emily gave her, still smirking like earlier. Or maybe she just realized that she was way in over her head, thinking she could flirt with a man who was a little over ten years her senior,  _ and also her boss _ . “I um, will be right back.” She turned, hurrying through the living room and towards anywhere else. She just needed to get somewhere to calm down, remember how to breathe, and she’d be okay. 

That’s usually what she did when she had an anxiety attack.  _ Was that what this was? _ She was struggling to breathe, and the room did slightly look like it was spinning. “Woah, Kassy, you look like you’re about to fall over,” Piper said, smirking until she saw the anxiety written on her face. “Hey, Spence, I could use a glass of water,” she called out. “Discreetly.” Spencer frowned, nodding quickly before leaving for the kitchen.

“Can’t...breathe…” Why was it every single time she was out with her friends, having fun, that something like this had to happen? Not _ every _ time, but it might as well have been. All because of her stupid insecurities, her stupid feelings towards--

“Okay, sit down,” Piper said gently, leading her out through the back door to Rossi’s yard. Kassidy leaned back against the cold wall. “Hey, focus on me,” Piper said, an easy smile on her face. “I want you to name five things I’m wearing, go.” Kassidy blinked, looking Piper up and down. She licked her lips, still trying to breathe. 

“Ummm… a pink skirt,” She said slowly. “Or is it peach?” Her heart-rate picked back up. Her chest ached.

“Doesn’t matter, it’s a skirt,” Piper said quickly. “What else?”

“A belt, gold,” she managed. “Sweater. Pretty. Like the color of wine.” Air started flooding through her lungs.

“Yeah, you’re doing great. I just need two more things.”

“Ummm, your rings. You always wear them. They remind you of your mom,” Kassidy recalled steadily, her breathing starting to even out.

“Kay didn’t have to bring that up,” Piper murmured. “One more. One last thing I’m wearing.”

“Boots. You never wear heels, which is probably smart considering I almost broke my ankle on the way here.”

“Hey, that’s okay,” Piper said, her hands on either side of her face. “Alright, you look amazing, Kass.” She nodded dully, and all of a sudden, Piper was pressing Kass into a warm embrace. “You’re okay. I’m right here. Always gonna be here, okay?” Kassidy chuckled, the sting of tears threatening to fall in her eyes. She wouldn’t let them. 

“Sorry, I’m a mess,” Kassidy said, sniffling slightly.

“Nothing to apologize about,” Piper assured her, seeing a confused Spencer out the corner of her eye with a glass of water. “We all have stumbling blocks, Kassy.” She snorted softly.

“I’ve never even seen you fall down, Pipes.” Piper laughed softly.

“Kass, that night, in the bathroom, when I locked myself inside. I was having a panic attack,” she confessed quietly, earning a small gasp from Kassidy. “And this team is great, but they’re not exactly experienced in handling nervous breakdowns. More just...pointing and identifying. So, yeah. We all stumble every now and then. Important thing is getting back up.”

Kassidy let out a soft watery laugh, still trying to hold back her tears, and failing as a couple fell, “You can always come to me too,” she mumbled. She noticed Spencer there but decided to ignore him. He at least kept looking up at the sky, trying to pretend he wasn’t listening to them. Or he honestly was distracted by the constellations. Who knew. 

“Noted,” Piper affirmed, pulling out a napkin from her pocket and wiping Kassidy’s cheeks softly, without ruining her make-up. “You just tell me when you want to go back in. Or if you don’t want to. All I know for sure is that you look amazing, and the food inside smells amazing. Completely up to you.”

Kassidy sniffled, smiling a little and looking up at Piper, “Thank you. I um, think I need a minute, and then we can go back in. Or Rossi’s going to send a search party.” 

“That’s cool. I’ll tell them you saw a dog or something,” Piper said, chuckling lightly. “Come in when you’re ready.” Piper’s face was unreadable for a moment until she popped a kiss on her forehead and left, hurrying back inside, wheeling Spencer away. Kassidy’s nose scrunched in confusion. That was the second time in two days that Piper kissed her. Which was a record, considering she never did it before. 

She wasn’t going to complain. 

Wrapping her arms around herself, Kassidy looked up at the stars. All of the self-doubt, the fear, the worries that dug their way into the back of her mind were still there. Just quieter now. With a deep breath of summer night air, she managed to convince herself she would be okay. No more anxiety for the rest of the night. Hopefully. 

Maybe a minute passed before she went back inside, the smell of pasta and garlic bread becoming a little too overwhelming to put off much longer. Everyone was seated, plates served, but nobody was eating yet, all just conversing. Spencer and Piper were arguing about Greek gods while Derek and Penelope fought over where to put the garlic bread. According to Penelope, it should be right in front of her. Derek wanted it in the middle of the table.

“Athena is just Ares with brain cells,” Piper cried out, and Rossi was holding his head in his hands until he spotted Kassidy, “Ah! There you are. We were waiting on you,” he smiled. 

She blushed, noticing the only free spot was right between JJ and Piper, directly across from Aaron. _ Which, of course, it was. _ They did that on purpose. She took her seat, mumbling an apology for making everyone wait. 

“Don’t apologize,” Rossi held up his wine glass, “We’re more than glad to wait. We don’t eat until we’re all here, right? Like a family.” Spencer held up his glass, followed by Piper, Emily, and everyone else. They were all smiling. Kassidy smiled and held hers up last, “Like a family,” she agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: This is a cute series that @dralexreid and I are writing together! You can kind of see a difference in flow between the two of us (our styles are a bit different), but we love it!   
> I wonder what's going to happen next?  
> (Also Kass is a mess but we all love her anyways, right? Right?)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The BAU family are at Rossi's for a dinner party. There's dancing, emotions, and... Rock Band?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Warning that if you squint, there's like, sort of smut in this chapter lmao. You just gotta squint really hard.  
> There's also a lot of anxiety, so fair warning!  
> But this is mostly Kassidy being a mess again, like always.   
> And Piper being exhausted. But can you blame her?
> 
> (we unofficially titled this chapter: Dancing and Almost Kisses).

Dinner had been perfect. Aside from the bickering, the teasing, and the one instant where Derek accidentally flung a noodle at Piper instead of at Penelope, his intended target. Piper was about to throw something back, but Rossi nipped that in the bud rather quickly. Emily almost choked on her wine when he threatened to ground the whole team. 

Aaron sighed, his chin resting in one hand, his glass of wine in the other. He shot Rossi a look, “You can try,” he said, swirling the red wine around, “but I don’t think they’re going to listen to you. They don’t listen to me on a good day.”

“Oh, relax,” Piper poked her tongue out at him, “You’re just grumpy because you’re not our boss right now. You can’t always tell us what to do.”

“But I can,” Rossi narrowed his eyes at her, the corners of his mouth twitching _ just barely  _ enough to give away his attempt at hiding a smile, “You’re in my house.”

Kassidy hid her smirk behind her glass, trying the peach juice-champagne combination that Piper had prepared earlier. She tried to hide her shock at how good it was, but apparently not well enough, seeing as Piper elbowed her, “Don’t be so surprised,” she teased. Kassidy felt her cheeks warm up-- probably from the alcohol-- “I’m not! I just like it more than I thought I would. I only drink sugary things.”

“We’re aware,” JJ joked, taking a sip from her glass. “If you could, you’d drink straight sugar water.”

“Ew, no,” Kassidy scrunched up her nose, “I would need something to flavor it with. Like kool-aid.”

“You’re such a child,” Derek poked his fork in her direction. If it weren’t for his smile, she’d think he was being mean. She scoffed, going back to her food, “Am not,” she muttered. 

Will was the first to stand, taking his and JJ’s plates, “Alright, Mr. Rossi,” he said before he walked back to the kitchen, “What was your plan after dinner?”

Rossi leaned back in his seat, wiping his hands on a napkin, “I guess we’ll see. This is a dinner party, after all. There’ll probably be some dancing,” he looked right at Spencer and Piper when he said that. Piper was oblivious to the look, too busy grabbing her and Spencer’s plates (purely out of convenience because he was right in front of her), and Spencer blushed, just a little. Kassidy noticed the blush but chose not to point it out. It was cute. 

“Just pick some good music,” Piper murmured, pressing a quick kiss to David’s cheek before leaving for the kitchen with Will.

“You should just let her choose, so she doesn’t give you any strife,” JJ said, chuckling as she smoothed out her dress. 

“I heard that!” Piper called out, leaving Will in the kitchen to rush over to Rossi’s vinyl collection. Spencer stood in the hallway, leaning his shoulder on the wall, noticing the tip of her tongue poke out as her fingers danced over each vinyl. She almost looked ethereal, her hair tumbling down in waves, a gleeful look on her face as she pulled out an orange album.

“What did you pick?” Spencer asked, finally moving over and tucking his arms around her waist, his chin placed gently into the crook of her neck.

“Ed Sheeran,” Piper grinned, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek and cursing as she heard the familiar snap of a camera. “Rossi, you promised no cameras,” she groaned. Spencer turned, trying, and failing, to glare pointedly at Penelope, who had snapped a picture of them.

“Cheese?” Penelope asked, smiling sheepishly. “Trust me; you’ll thank me later.” Piper shook her head, placing the vinyl gently over the record-player, then the needle over it.

Kassidy smiled to herself, so thankful that Penelope was smart enough to bring a camera to the party. She knew she would want those pictures later, even if Piper didn’t (but seriously, she knew Piper would want them. She just wouldn’t ask for them, but rather “borrow” them, and then they would suddenly be framed in her home-- weird how that always happens). 

It didn’t take long for the dining table to be cleared, Penelope and Kassidy tag-teaming to put any leftover food away for Rossi, who kept insisting he could do it. But with a wave of Kassidy’s hand (for the third time), he finally relented, joining the rest of the team in the living room. Eventually, even Penelope left, being dragged away from the dishes by Derek. She blew a kiss in Kassidy’s direction, “Hurry up, sweet thing,” she urged, “or you’ll miss out on some dancing!”

Kassidy smiled and shook her head, continuing to rinse dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. She had maybe 3 or 4 plates left when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She paused, sighing, “Penny, I’m almost done. Just let me finish these last couple before they get forgotten--”

“Not Penny,” a voice replied. She felt goosebumps on her arms as she glanced over her shoulder. Aaron smiled, “I was just wondering where you were off to. Everyone else is in the living room.”

She managed a shy laugh, “I, um, if I don’t do the dishes, then Rossi won’t do them until tomorrow. I wanted to be helpful.” 

“I think the dishes have enough company for tonight,” Aaron said, pushing the dishwasher closed. “You deserve a good time.” He held his hand out, a soft smile on his face while laughter bubbled from the living room. And for once, Kassidy didn’t think twice, merely clasping his hand and letting him lead her to the others.  _ Drunk _ was playing softly in the background, and Kassidy let out a short laugh.

Kassidy loved Ed Sheeran, and was pleasantly surprised that Piper picked him and not like… AC/DC or something. But, she supposed that wasn’t proper dinner party music. She smiled softly at Piper, giggling as Spencer twirled her, watching them sway to the music while JJ tucked her head into Will’s chest. Derek had Penelope wrapped up in his arms; her head rested on his chest (both giggling like high schoolers). Emily did the math quickly in her head, before pulling Rossi to his feet, leaving Kassidy and Aaron partner-less. 

Aaron did the math too, and didn’t know whether to curse or thank his team. “May I have this dance?” he asked sweetly. Kassidy couldn’t help a stammer, her cheeks warming up under his gaze. Like heck if she was going to say no, not when his hand drifted to her lower back, not when she was close enough to smell his cologne. Not when he was looking at her like _ that _ . Not when the song that started playing happened to be one of her favorites.  _ Kiss Me _ , one of Ed Sheeran’s newest hits. She had it memorized by now.

Her hand rose to his shoulder, and before she knew it, they were swaying to the music. Her bright blue eyes clung to his deep browns, lingering on the soft smile he was desperately trying to control. They only drifted once as Spencer twirled Piper out in front of them. Aaron laughed as Spencer almost lost control (his eyes were as big as saucers as he muttered, _ “Oh jeez, Pipes-” _ ), not noticing Piper’s smirk or her smug wink directed at Kassidy, before they were gone again. Kassidy felt that familiar pit growing in her stomach, although it was small. She tried to hide it, smiling to mask that-ever-present nervousness.

“Everything okay?” Aaron asked, panic slightly tensing his body as he noticed Kassidy’s bright blush.  _ Damn profilers.  _

“Yeah, I’ve just never, um, danced before,” she stuttered, blushing even harder.  _ Especially with my boss and a bunch of my co-workers who all know how I feel about him. Where the heck is that hole? World, swallow me up now, please.  _

“Well, you wouldn’t know it,” Aaron said gracefully. “You’re a natural.”

“You’re just saying that,” Kassidy said quietly, biting her bottom lip. Aaron shrugged.

“I can prove it,” he said quickly, barely giving Kassidy time to respond as he twirled her twice, ignoring Emily’s very obvious smirk in the corner with David. Kassidy was back in his arms within seconds, inches away from his lips. “See,” he whispered, “A natural.” 

Kassidy was frozen-- they weren’t even dancing at this point. They were just standing inches from each other, while their friends danced around them. Kassidy’s brain had short-circuited. She couldn’t think of anything besides this moment, as if they were the only people in the room. She’d lost all function of herself, as though her body had finally found the place where it belonged. 

She could feel his breath fan over her lips as he exhaled, his mouth hanging open just a touch as he swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing. She noticed his eyes flicker down her face, focusing on her lips for a split second before meeting her gaze again. Her breath hitched as he licked his bottom lip, “Kass-”

Just then, Piper shrieked as Spencer twirled her over and over, the two laughing as the song changed to something more upbeat. Aaron cleared his throat and stepped back, his face a bright shade of red.

Kassidy blinked, remembering herself-- remembering where she was. Her hand went to her chest as if willing her heartbeat to slow down. She managed a smile, even as heat coursed through her veins, “I um- thank you. For dancing with me.” Before he could reply, she stepped away and rushed past Rossi (making sure to smile at him so he wouldn’t worry), and took the few brisk steps down the hall, heading right into the bathroom.

She leaned back against the door, grounding herself, feeling the cool air of the fan as it came on with the flip of a switch. Her breathing was shaky, but not in the same way as earlier. This wasn’t an anxiety attack, or a panic attack, or  _ whatever _ . This was just how she was. Awkward and weird. Thin and strange and a girl pining for someone she couldn’t have.

She couldn’t believe she almost  _ kissed _ him-- right there! In front of everybody! Her boss-- someone who she  _ most definitely _ shouldn’t be getting involved with, no matter how much Piper or Emily or Penny- or anyone- tried to push her. He was a (relatively) recent widow still.  _ He was their boss- _ \- did she mention he was their boss? It was so inappropriate, especially in the type of work they did. If Strauss ever found out, he would be in so much trouble. She didn’t have Piper or Spencer’s brains and credentials to save her. Not that that meant anything. Because nothing would happen anyway. And so what, she wasn’t a field agent? Her work was more behind the scenes and in the office, but still. 

And then there was the whole 11 years older thing. Maybe if she was 36 instead of 26, then it could work. But that wasn’t the reality of the situation. Clearly, he could find a woman more in his age range, someone with life experience like him. Someone who would love Jack like their own, and who would understand his busy and hectic schedule. 

_ Someone like her _ , her mind tried to reason. But she shook the thought away, closing her eyes. 

Why did she have to fall in love with Aaron Hotchner?

\--

Aaron was still frozen in the middle of the living room while the others slowed to a stop. “Maybe we should take a break,” Rossi announced, carefully observing Aaron’s crestfallen face. “Aaron, help me with the drinks.” Aaron nodded dutifully, following his friend into the wine cellar while the others watched, the same crushed expressions on each one, save for Will, who simply looked confused. 

“I’ll tell you later,” JJ whispered. The mood had very clearly dropped. 

The path to Rossi’s wine cellar was reasonably straightforward, a small staircase separating them from the racks of wine and whiskey bottles.

“See, the secret to picking the right bottle of wine is to make sure it complements the food. Light food requires a light drink. Bishop’s Bellini, for instance, pairs well with light entrees but doesn’t go well with carbonara. What did you do wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Aaron confessed. “I thought she was having fun and then…” He trailed off, deep in thought. “I know you said I was ready for this, but what if I’m not?” Aaron’s voice was dreadfully quiet, but echoed around the cellar. He looked crushed, David noted. He probably was.

“Aaron, life is short,” he chastised, “You have to take chances when you can.” He eyed some bottles before moving on, humming to himself.

Aaron sighed, “It doesn’t change the fact that she’s my employee. Erin would--”

“Leave Erin to me,” David said dismissively, waving his hand for emphasis. “That woman is too uptight for her own good. Trying to separate Bishop and Reid when it’s none of her business, and now you and Hughes. It’s not like Hughes works in the field, since she’s our interrogator, so there shouldn’t be any issues when it comes to fieldwork.”

“She’s the Section Chief,” Aaron reminded him.

“And whether she knows it or not, she cares about your happiness too,” David told him, his fingers flying over each bottle of wine. “We all do,” he added, absently picking out a fancy-looking red. He smiled a little, turning the bottle in his hands as he examined the label, “You are more than ready.”

“Is  _ she? _ ” Aaron asked quietly. “I’d be asking her to step over a professional boundary.”

“That’s  _ her _ choice to make,” David dismissed again, passing him the wine. The label read  _ Bella Ragazza in Rosso.  _ Beautiful girl in red. “All  _ you _ can do is ask. The rest is up to her.” 

\--

Derek collapsed on one of Rossi’s couches, because of course, he had like, four. “Derek, shoes off the couch,” Piper chastised him, and he grumbled slightly. He almost kicked his shoes off, but just swung his feet off the edge instead. Penelope sat down beside him, her hands fidgeting in her lap, “So,” she said with a click of her tongue.

Will and JJ disappeared into the kitchen. “Getting some glasses,” JJ explained, “for the wine.” She had practically dragged him by his sleeve as they rounded the corner. 

Emily sighed, running her fingers through her hair, “This is getting awkward.”

“Right, because we needed to be told,” Spencer muttered darkly, collapsing on another couch beside Piper, who was currently holding her head in her hands. His hand was squeezing her shoulder.

“I should’ve just taken her home,” she whispered. “She could be having a panic attack in there.  _ Fuck.” _

Penelope reached over the space between the couches, placing her hand on Piper’s knee, “I’m sure she’s fine, Pipes. You can’t be blaming yourself for this, you know? She’s like a nervous little bunny rabbit, so she just needs a minute to calm down. I mean, it’s not like we knew-”

“Fuck this,” Emily swore, standing up and marching over to the bathroom.

“What were you saying about calm?” Derek snickered softly, making Piper look at him with narrowed eyes.

“Not the time, Morgan,” she snapped, making Derek wince slightly.

“Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood,” he said honestly.

Spencer sighed, leaning back until his shoulder was touching Piper’s. He started tapping a beat against his thigh with his fingers. Piper glanced down, watching for a moment, before asking, “Is that the beat from the first song we just danced to?”

“Hmm?” He peered at her, pausing his fiddling to lace his hand in hers. “Oh, yeah, I guess. Just trying to think of something a bit more uplifting.” She managed a small smile, chancing a glance over her shoulder towards the hall. She couldn’t see Emily from where she was sitting, but decided maybe that was a good thing, opting to nestle her head on Spencer’s shoulder.

“You guys wanna play a game?” Penelope offered with a shrug. She didn’t really look like she was in the mood for games, her smile not reaching her eyes, but Derek nodded, “Yeah, let’s play some games. We’ll check on Emily and Kass in a little bit if they don’t join us soon. Sound good?”

Spencer looked to Piper, who nodded, “Alright. Uno?”

“No way, you count cards every damn time,” Derek protested.

Penelope smirked, her pink lips curling into a devilish smile, “How about Rock Band? I’ve been practicing!”

\--

Kassidy was startled by the soft knocking on the door, followed by Emily’s familiar voice, “Hey, Kass? You okay?”

She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment before replying, “Y-yeah.” Which was a half-truth. She wasn’t crying, so that was something. Her makeup and hair still looked okay, and her heart-rate had gone down a little in the minutes she had taken to calm her breathing. But that didn’t stop the hurt that was clutching at her insides, the self-deprecating doubt that was growing along with the pit of nerves in her core. 

There was silence for a moment before Emily spoke again, “Can I come in?”

Kassidy swallowed thickly. Did she want Emily to come in? Honestly, yes. But also, honestly, no. It was confusing. She worried that if she saw her friend, the need to cry would overwhelm her. And right now, she was just managing to keep the tears at bay. But, she wanted a hug. Even if it was from someone who had been pushing her all day. 

“Maybe,” she answered. Not a good answer-- dumb answer. 

Emily tried the door, finding it wasn’t locked. She pushed it open, carefully, testing to see if it was okay. When Kassidy didn’t say anything, she walked in, closing it softly behind her. 

Rossi’s house was a literal mansion, so his bathrooms were the size of what some people would call their bedrooms. There were two sinks in the countertop, a giant mirror reflecting the entire room. Emily could see clear as day the look of depression on Kassidy’s face. It wasn’t a good look for their normally-bubbly friend. 

She walked up beside Kassidy, tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder, “So, what happened?” Her eyes were studying, analyzing, looking for signs of distress. 

Kassidy sighed, turning around and leaning back against the counter. Her feet were starting to hurt from those stupid heels. “I just, um…” She took a deep breath, steadying herself, crossing her arms across her chest, “I dunno?” Her voice went up an octave as she curled in on herself, defensive. 

Emily hopped up on the counter, her legs dangling down beside Kassidy. She hummed, looking around the room, “Alright, well, let’s sit here until you do know.”

Kassidy peeked at her from the corner of her eye, “What?”

“Let’s just hang out. In one of Rossi’s many bathrooms. And then, when you’re ready, we can talk about whatever is bothering you. Until then, we can sit in silence. I don’t mind.”

Kassidy shifted her weight from one foot to the other, staring at the diamond pattern on the floor. She wasn’t in the mood to talk just yet, but if they were just going to sit there until she was, then she’d have to get over herself. She  _ knew  _ she was being a bit dramatic, or at least, that’s what her mom would say. But she couldn’t help it. Her feelings were complicated and messy. 

Why was everything so messy?

Maybe five minutes passed, Emily humming softly as her heels tapped against the cupboard door of the counter, maybe longer. Eventually, though, Kassidy took a deep breath, closing her eyes and exhaling heavily. Emily smiled, “You ready to talk?”

“Maybe?”

“Better than ‘no.’ So let’s talk about something. How are you feeling right now?” She was watching Kassidy’s face. Profiling her. Kassidy hated that this was the second time in two days that her friends broke their own rules about profiling each other. 

She sighed, “Right now? Um, kind of embarrassed, I guess.”

“Why?”

“Cause I locked myself in a bathroom. Like a teenage girl trying to get attention,” she muttered, her fingers digging into her arms as she clutched herself. 

Emily clicked her tongue, “No, you locked yourself in a bathroom like a 26-year-old who got overwhelmed with emotions and needed a place to calm down. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Literally last night, Piper did the same thing. I’ve done it before too. So has Spencer. Derek got out of a bad date by locking himself in and escaping out the window. Trust me.”

Kassidy wasn’t sure if that actually made her feel better, but it brought a small smile to her lips. She shrugged her shoulders, “Okay, I guess it’s normal for this dysfunctional family to lock themselves in bathrooms.”

Emily smirked, “As normal as a dysfunctional family can be.” 

Kassidy mulled over her words, uncrossing her arms and turning towards Emily, “Okay, so, here’s the thing,” she started, gaining a small smile from her friend, “I  _ almost  _ kissed him.”

“Annnnd that’s a bad thing?” Emily guessed, arching an eyebrow.

“Yes!” Kassidy squeaked, her hands going out in front of her for emphasis, “Em, he’s our  _ boss!  _ He’s eleven years older than me! He’s a  _ widow! _ ”

“That didn’t stop him from flirting with you all night,” Emily said, smirking. “Or dancing with you.”

“He wasn’t flirting with me,” she replied, recrossing her arms.

“He helped you with the dishes, he was sitting right in front of you during dinner, and he danced with you,  _ and _ he called you a natural dancer. That’s flirting, sweetheart.”

Kassidy could feel that frustration growing again, her face feeling hot, “He was just… being nice. And you and Piper forced me to sit across from him-- it was the only free seat. And then everyone paired up, leaving just us. You guys are all pushing us together but,” she hesitated. For all the self-doubt, the fear, the knowledge that she wasn’t enough, maybe they weren’t the real reasons for her running away. 

She bit her lip as Emily watched her expectantly, urging her to continue with her eyes. Kassidy swallowed the lump forming in her throat, the sting of tears threatening her eyes now, “But, what if  _ he  _ doesn’t want to be with _ me? _ ” And there it was—the truth.

There was a moment of silence. “You won’t know till you ask him,” Emily said simply.

Kassidy shrunk back in on herself, bowing her head a little in an attempt to hide her trembling lip. “And if I ask him, and he’s not interested? Or I get in trouble for suggesting such a thing?”

Emily mulled the question over. “Most likely, Piper will break his nose.” Kassidy’s eyes widened. “Oh, come on, Kass. Just ask him out for coffee. Completely innocent. And no-one’s gonna fire you for asking your boss to grab coffee with you.” Emily snickered at another thought. “Technically, we asked our boss to dinner; you don’t see Strauss accusing us of a polyamorous relationship.”

“Emily,” Kassidy hissed silently, looking towards the bathroom door as if someone overheard her. Emily chuckled a little, “Polyamorous isn’t a bad word, Kassy.”

Kassidy still frowned, the toe of her shoe tapping on the tile floor. She was ready to take those dang heels off. Maybe she should just start buying boots like Piper. She’d teach her how to pull them off, right?

She inhaled slowly, counted to four, and then exhaled. Emily arched an eyebrow, a small smile on her pretty face, “You feel better now?”

“No,” Kassidy pouted. Emily laughed, “You’re a bad liar. Okay, I know you’re not 100% your bubbly self again, but you’re getting there.” She paused, listening for a moment, Piper’s familiar shriek of triumph echoing around the house, “I think the others are playing Rock Band. Do you want to play? And drink some more wine? You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to tonight, you know. I mean, you should talk to Hotch, but you don’t have to. Not if you’re not ready.”

Kassidy nodded slowly, pursing her lips into a tight line. She glanced at herself in the mirror one last time, fixing some of her hair absentmindedly, “Okay. Okay, yeah, let’s go play some games. I don’t wanna ruin anyone’s night.”

“You’re not ruining the night,” Emily smiled, hopping off the counter. She wrapped Kassidy in a tight hug, planting a kiss on her forehead, “Let’s go watch Piper kick Derek’s ass.”

\--

“No!” Derek yelled out, “This is completely unfair!”  _ Raise Your Glass _ was blasting from the TV speakers, and Derek struggled to keep up with the beat behind Piper, who was beaming. Aaron was shaking his head.

“When are you gonna learn, Derek?” he said, chuckling. “She knows these chords like the back of her hand.”

“Probably better,” Piper smirked. “I found a scar the other day.” Penelope was dancing, spinning Spencer in circles until he finally collapsed onto an armchair.

“The room’s spinning,” he said weakly, just as the song hit the final note.

“Alright, that’s enough,” David sighed, rolling up his sleeves. “I’m about to school her ass.” Derek bowed mockingly, passing the man the drumsticks. JJ and Will groaned at the duo. This was never going to end.

“Challenger’s choice of song,” Piper smirked.  _ Cherry Bomb _ was queued up. “Really?” Piper asked, her nose scrunching up. “70’s rock?”

“Yep. Feel free to back down now,” David said, twirling a drumstick, flashing a smile at Kassidy as she walked in with Emily. Kassidy gave the smallest wave in return, finding a secluded spot on the furthest couch, tucking her legs under herself as she sat down. Rossi seemed to be the only one who noticed her entry, and she was okay with that. 

Emily plopped down next to JJ, reaching for a wine glass on the coffee table. “This oughta be good,” she muttered with a smirk. 

“Oh, you wish I would,” Piper said, gripping the pick in her hand and starting to strum while JJ and Emily began to sing. David kept up with her easily, flipping one drumstick before continuing. Piper narrowed her eyes, focusing on the riff solo, but keeping up anyway. Aaron sighed heavily, unable to break the smile on his face as the song ended with no clear winner.  _ Go Your Own Way  _ queued up next, still part of the same 70’s collection. It was Aaron’s turn to sing, as did Spencer once the room had stopped spinning for him. Kassidy watched Aaron from a distance as he belted the chorus, despite how bad he was at it.

“Terrible choice,” David cried over his drums. “I grew up on Fleetwood Mac!” Piper tripped over one of the chords but picking up the riff quickly.

“And now it’s nothing more than a car jingle,” Piper quipped back, being particularly showy with the riff. Will laughed as the two screamed the lyrics at each other, completely ruining any chance of Aaron singing in tune. Piper plucked out the riff with flair, making David narrow his eyes in determination until finally, Emily bullied them both into giving her and Kassidy a turn. 

Kassidy pulled JJ to her feet, passing her the mic while Emily pulled the guitar’s strap over her neck. Kassidy took David’s drumsticks while he argued with Piper over who was better. But  _ Don’t Stop Me Now _ started playing, and instantly they all burst to attention, belting out the lyrics. Queen always did manage to unite them all, even if Emily’s guitar-playing was subpar and even as JJ’s voice cracked slightly. 

Rossi took a seat in his recliner, picking up his whiskey, grinning as he sipped from the glass. Aaron and Derek stood nearby, the latter trying to hype the girls up as best as he could, while the former just shook his head, a broad smile on his face. Penelope snapped a few pictures, giggling when Piper shot her a dirty look, “I better not look bad in any of those,” she warned. Penelope only offered a cheeky grin and a shrug, “Guess you’ll find out when I develop them.”

Kassidy wasn’t very good at the drums, at least not as good as Rossi (or Ringo), but she started to laugh, started to relax, and kept looking at Emily for approval-- missing a couple of beats in the meantime. 

Piper glanced down at her watch. It was only 11 pm, but if everyone had a couple of drinks of water, they just might avoid a hangover before the baseball game tomorrow. And they needed their pitcher and main batter sober tomorrow. Spencer’s eyes followed her frame as Piper slipped into the kitchen, starting to fill up glasses of water for the tipsy family in the other room. 

Piper sighed in relief as she reached the sink, the sound of singing and laughter distant. It wasn’t as though she hated it, but she just needed a break sometimes. People could be suffocating, even when having fun, and the peace she felt at the kitchen sink relieved her of the stress. She was constantly stressed out these days, over practically nothing, and she really didn’t need  _ anxiety _ as another one of her diagnoses. She closed her eyes, just barely registering Spencer padding into the kitchen, relaxing more so when his arms hugged around her hips, his lips coming to her neck and kissing her gently. 

“You okay?” he asked softly, between kisses on her neck. She let a small, strangled moan escape her lips in agreement. She turned around slowly, pressing her lips to his to taste sweet peach juice and champagne.

“Better now,” she smiled against his lips. Her silver rings pressed gently onto his neck as she pulled slowly on his upper lip, and she felt his fingers pull lightly at her sweater. “Spence, this isn’t the time,” she whispered, but Spencer hushed her, moving to press light kisses against her jaw. Gently, she pushed his shoulders away, and he whined softly. “Are you drunk?” Piper whispered. 

“No,” Spencer answered a little too quickly. She arched an eyebrow, making him huff, “Tipsy.”

“Same thing.”

“Technically, not the same thing.”

“Don’t argue with me when you’re inebriated. You’ll lose.”

He chuckled, pushing some of her hair aside to plant a soft kiss on her cheek, settling his chin on top of her head while she settled her head on his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“M fine.”

“No, you’re not,” he countered. “Doesn’t take a profiler to see you’re tapped out, which is fine if that’s what it is,” he murmured, “But you’re always stressed out, and I don’t like seeing you stressed out.” Piper hummed, closing her eyes as she tucked her arms around him tighter.

“My sweet savior,” she said, snorting slightly. “I don’t know,” Piper sighed. “Maybe I’m just tired. Haven’t exactly been getting my beauty sleep.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Spencer asked, pressing a small kiss to her hair.

“If only I knew,” she sighed. Another snap echoed out, and Piper groaned. “I’m going to kill her.”

“We need her to catch bad guys,” Spencer reminded her.

“We’ve got your brain for that, and I’ve got a knife in my boot,” she called out, receiving a slight squeal and rushing heels in response.

“We don’t kill people, Pipes.” He wasn’t surprised Piper still had her knives. He was slightly worried that she still felt the need to carry them around, even if it was a practical move. Yawning, Piper pulled away from Spencer. 

“I need sleep,” Piper sighed, stifling another yawn, giggling slightly when Spencer yawned too.

“Agreed,” Spencer said, pressing a small kiss to Piper’s forehead. “I’ll meet you upstairs.”

“Just let me get a round of water into these idiots, and I’ll join you.” She kissed him lightly before yawning for the third time. Spencer pulled away reluctantly, moving to grab their overnight bags and probably have a shower while Piper pulled a single lemon from the fridge and a container of sugar from the upper cabinet. Lemonade was perhaps the best way to get them to sober up at least a little. Kassidy stumbled out of the living room and into the kitchen, watching Piper slam a knife into a lemon violently. Part of her wanted to back away as quickly as possible, but the blade was already dropped into the sink, and Piper was squeezing the lemon into a glass pitcher.

“Lemonade?” Kassidy asked. “You aren’t going to mix it with vodka, are you?”

“No,” Piper said, scrunching her nose in disgust. “That tastes horrible.” She noticed Kassidy’s raised eyebrow. “One of my college roommates was a wannabe mixologist. It was horrifying. The  _ only _ good thing she managed to make us was a peach bellini, and I have  _ memorized _ that recipe.” Kassidy giggled, sliding up to the counter.

“Where’s Spencer?”

“Probably in his room,” Piper said, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand. She couldn’t find a spoon, only a mixing rod, which was also made of glass. “Why is everything glass?” Piper muttered, mixing the drink. Carefully, Piper poured out nine glasses of lemonade.

“Because Rossi’s rich and can replace anything he owns if it breaks?” Kassidy offered as an explanation. Piper snorted. 

“And who says crime doesn’t pay?” Piper straightened, narrowing her eyes as she swore she was missing something. She snapped her fingers, remembering it, and Kassidy watched curiously as Piper slid the window open, breaking a large sprig of basil. Watching Piper cook was slightly mesmerizing. Almost like Rossi, but with more swearing and haphazard cooking. 

Finished, she slid a glass over to Kassidy, popping a straw in it just for her.  _ Because secretly, Kass is a 9-year-old who’d probably drink wine with a straw, too, if David Rossi wasn’t in the room. _ Piper carefully lifted the tray of glasses, filled to the brim with lemonade, and carried it into the living room. Aaron smiled as Piper entered the room. “And who said you were never practical?” Piper’s jaw dropped.

“You are  _ mean _ ,” she said, her lips slightly upturned as she passed the tray to him.

“I’ll take care of this lot. You look ready to drop dead,” his smile transformed into a playful smirk. Piper narrowed her eyes at him.

“That still sounds mean, but your call,” she said, stepping back and taking the opportunity to dash upstairs. Kassidy tried to wave goodnight, but didn’t get the chance to open her mouth with how quick Piper was gone. She found herself giggling, wondering if her friend was going to pass out the moment she hit the bed. She sure felt like she might. 

Watching from the doorway, Kassidy smiled as Aaron somehow managed to get even Emily to drink the whole glass of lemonade (though she did try to put up a fight, complaining that it was too sweet for her taste). Derek just bet that he could down his glass faster than her, and when they both finished, looking around for someone to declare a winner, nobody was paying attention. Kassidy giggled, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Thank goodness the chaotic duo didn’t notice her, or she was sure they’d bombard her to figure out who was fastest (it was Derek, but he had a head-start). 

Eventually, Aaron collected their now empty glasses, sending everyone off to bed. Before leaving him alone with Kassidy, David smiled at him, the blonde swirling the last of her lemonade in her glass absentmindedly. She barely felt Rossi’s kiss on her cheek as he bid her goodnight. She managed a small smile his way, watching him ascend the stairs after the rest of their family.

“Hughes,” Aaron whispered slowly. 

“Um, I should go to bed too. We’ve got the baseball game tomorrow,” she muttered sheepishly, setting her glass down by the sink before turning to leave. 

“Wait,” Aaron blurted out. “I--I need to apologize for my behavior.” Kassidy stood frozen in the doorway, clinging to every word. “I may have pushed too far tonight, and I’m sorry for that. Kassidy, I--” he stuttered, trying to get the words out, his hands fidgeting, going to his pockets as if he didn’t know what to do with them. Kassidy’s heart palpitated. She bit her bottom lip, trying not to read too much into what he might say. She needed to at least try to look normal.

“I enjoyed dancing with you tonight, and I’m sorry if I crossed any boundaries,” he finally said, looking at her expectantly. If he were anyone else, she would expect him to avert his eyes, to look more nervous, but this was Aaron Hotchner. King of staring down his fears, as Spencer said once. _ “I don’t think he even blinks,” _ Piper told her the night before. 

But he did blink, and he did feel nervous, because he was  _ human _ . She might not have been as good of a profiler as the rest of the team, but there _ was _ something she was good at. And that was recognizing the tells of a liar. Aaron wasn’t lying. 

_ He enjoyed dancing with me? _

Kassidy tucked some hair behind her ear nervously, trying (and failing) to hide the smile that was growing somewhat quickly. She cleared her throat, her eyes finally meeting his. He was looking at her like she held the world in her hands, his eyes trying to read hers. His cheeks were flushed. It was cute. “I enjoyed dancing with you, too,” she managed to say, sounding mostly normal, “And, um, you didn’t cross any boundaries.”

The look of relief that crossed his features was unmistakable. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearing his throat, “Okay, good. That’s good.”

Nerves, butterflies, a volcano maybe, were settled in her stomach. She leaned against the doorway that led to the front foyer, to the stairs, where the rest of their family were most likely already sleeping. And for some reason, in this moment alone, even with all of her negative thoughts about herself, she felt brave enough to ask him, “Would you, um, like to go for coffee sometime, Hotch?”

He smiled, one of those broad smiles that she was growing to fall in love with (not that she was already head over heels for this man), where his dimples made themselves known. “You  _ can _ call me Aaron, remember? And yes, I’d like that. Coffee sounds nice.”

“Aaron,” she liked how his name felt on her lips. “Okay. Um, goodnight.”

She watched as his hand twitched, but he held back, choosing to lean against the counter, that same smile still on his lips, “Night.”

\--

Piper let the door close behind her, a satisfying click as she locked it, her forehead resting on the back of the door as she kicked off her boots. The last couple of days had been a lot. The night out, the date, now dinner, and the baseball game tomorrow. She forgot how much effort social activity took. She heard the bathroom door close, and Spencer moved over, tucking his arms around her, exactly where they belonged. “Hi,” he murmured. Piper laughed softly, turning around to brush away his wet hair.

“You barely dried off,” Piper murmured back, but he wasn’t listening. His hands shifted to her cheeks, fingers tangling in the roots of her wavy hair, his lips hot against hers. Piper’s hands were cold against his bare skin, and he hissed slightly, making Piper smile.

“You taste like lemon,” he whispered, pressing rough, sloppy kisses to her jaw. Piper bit her lip, trying not to make a sound as Spencer’s fingers fumbled on her belt until finally, it snapped open. Piper laughed as Spencer tossed it away, only to be muffled by a lengthy kiss. Her lips parted, letting him in, her arms winding around his neck. It wasn’t heavy, just lazy soft kisses as they both tasted sweet lemon and peach. He pulled away for a breath, leaning his forehead on hers, their noses bumping against each other.

“I need to shower,” she whispered, making him pout.

“You smell wonderful,” he murmured. “Fruity.” She gave him a rueful smile. 

“I see what you’re doing.”

“Is it working?” he asked, smiling as he pressed a small kiss to her lips.

“It’s very close to. But I have a feeling Rossi wouldn’t particularly appreciate it, and I’m pretty sure Derek’s in the other room.” He grumbled.

“Why did we come again?”

“No idea,” Piper smiled, almost making Spencer’s heart stop.

“I love you,” he murmured, making Piper smile even broader.

“I love you too.” She pressed a kiss to his nose before grabbing her bag and leaving for the adjoined bathroom. Reluctantly, Spencer pulled on a dark blue shirt and grey sweatpants before tucking himself into bed with  _ The Invisible Man _ . He’d made it to the 7th chapter by the time Piper emerged from the bathroom with a yawn. She wasn’t even making an effort to walk anymore, just sliding her bare feet across the room as she sat on the right side of the bed. Within 3 minutes flat, Piper had unstrapped each of her ankle holsters, dumped her bag by the bedside table, and tucked herself in, laying her head on Spencer’s lap. Her eyes closed involuntarily, soothed by the feeling of Spencer playing with her slightly damp hair. The room wasn’t very lit up; only Spencer’s bedside lamp was on, filling the room with soft, amber light. Barely 10 minutes passed, and Piper was up, gasping and breathless, narrowly avoiding bumping into Spencer’s face. Instantly, Spencer dropped his favorite book, wrapping his arms around Piper. “It’s okay,” he whispered, rubbing her arm as she leant against his chest.

“She won’t stop,” Piper murmured, tears streaking down her face, “Why won’t she just stop?”

“It wasn’t real,” Spencer said, brushing them away. “She can’t hurt them. You stopped her.”

“Too late,” she whispered. “It was too late. Lydia’s gone.”

“Hey, hey,” Spencer interrupted, propping her up so she could see his face. “I’m never going to let that happen.” Piper nodded, her heart-rate calming down. “Come here,” he said gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, so she was resting her head in the crook of his neck. “I’m right here.” They stayed like that, Spencer pressing kisses to the top of her hair until she calmed down, her breathing evening out.

“Will you read to me?” she asked softly, and Spencer snorted, “You hate dystopia.”

“I love the sound of your voice,” Piper whispered, and Spencer couldn’t refuse, picking up the fallen book, smiling as she snuggled closer to him for warmth, a hand resting on his torso.

_ “I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids -- and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading! This chapter is over 7k words because of course, it is. So congrats on reading the whole thing, if you did? LMAO.  
> The next chapter is going to be more fluff and flirting, less heavy on the emotions, so stay tuned! <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finishes their hectic weekend with a baseball game: the FBI vs. the CIA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know how else to do describe the chapter summary lmao.   
> Expect mostly fun stuff this chapter! It's the last one for the Girl's Weekend series, so we wanted to end on a high note.   
> Thank you again, Rucha, for writing this with me! I literally could not have written any of this little series without you! <333
> 
> (there is so much Spiper fluff in this chapter, hehe <3)

The morning after a Rossi party was always chaotic. The kitchen would be loud, messy, and full of too many bodies moving around. Rossi refused to let anyone go home without a proper breakfast, which always turned into a spread fit for kings and queens. Kassidy and Piper usually assisted him (Penelope always offered, but seeing as she and Emily were the most hungover, they would both end up on the couch instead, nursing away their headaches). 

JJ and Will needed to relieve their babysitter, and Aaron insisted on spending some time with Jack and Jessica before the baseball game, leaving the team without the parent-crew for breakfast.

Today Piper was in the backyard with Derek, the two having woken up at the crack of dawn to practice for the game that afternoon. Kassidy kept peeking out of the kitchen window to check on them, often laughing to herself when it was apparent Derek was teasing Piper (she always made the same “angry” face at him for it). 

Rossi peered over her shoulder, smirking a little to himself before turning to the french toast. “The game isn’t for several hours,” he started, watching Piper throw the ball a little harder than she probably needed to, almost hitting Derek in the shoulder, “But, if my favorite sous-chef doesn’t want to help in the kitchen, I guess I can’t force her.”

Kassidy frowned, turning towards him, “I’m not the favorite?”

He chuckled, shrugging one shoulder a little, “In the kitchen, you’re second favorite. Everywhere else? You’re the favorite. Don’t tell Piper.”

Kassidy smiled triumphantly. She knew he was kidding, but that didn’t stop the little feeling of warmth that radiated inside of her. 

Which was gone in a matter of moments as a very grumpy, very agitated-looking Spencer walked in. His hair was a curly mess, not having been brushed yet, and he was still in his pajamas. It was very domestic, considering she was used to seeing him at work. He plopped himself down at the counter on a stool, glaring out the window at the scene of Piper tackling Derek-- probably for some smart-ass comment. 

“Oof, you look like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” Kassidy teased, grabbing for the coffee pot to pour him a cup. He only grumbled, his hands rubbing at his eyes. Rossi bit back the urge to chuckle, checking on the pancake batter. 

Kassidy handed him a pink mug that said “I hate Mondays” on it (she couldn’t remember if she got it for Rossi, or if Penelope did). Spencer glanced down at it, then back up at her with an eyebrow arched. She shrugged, pushing the sugar towards him, “So, are you always this dead in the morning, or is something bothering you?”

“Oh, he’s always like this,” Rossi spoke up, scooping some batter into a pan. Spencer pouted, “I am not-”

“Reid, I’ve shared rooms with you before when on cases. Yes, you are.”

Some shouting drew their attention outside, where Emily had joined the two baseball players. For some reason, she had her arms around Derek, pinning his arms to his sides while Piper was bonking him on the forehead with her baseball glove. Kassidy started giggling, pulling out her phone and snapping a photo.

Spencer scowled. 

“Okay, really? Are you mad because Piper is outside and not in here?” Kassidy asked, turning to him. He took an obnoxiously long sip of his coffee, ignoring how hot it was. She kept her gaze trained on him as she started slicing fruit, “Spence?”

“Fine, yes. She woke up before me, and I woke up to an empty bed. Cold, empty, no Piper.” 

Rossi rolled his eyes,  _ “Oh per l'amor di Dio.”  _

Kassidy shot a quizzical look his way before looking back to Spencer, “So, you’re a grumpy-butt because you didn’t wake up with Piper?”

He blew his bangs from his face with a huff, “No,” he paused, “Maybe. We usually spend a little time together-”

“Oh my gosh, you’re mad because you didn’t  _ cuddle? _ ” Kassidy was giggling as his face turned a shade of pink. He stared into his mug, grumbling again, “It’s just a good way to start the day. Hugging, cuddling, spending time with someone you love releases oxytocin, serotonin, and other chemicals that--”

“I know, I know,” Kassidy leaned forward on the counter, her chin resting in her hands. She scrunched her nose up as she smirked at Spencer, “You’re adorable. You and Piper, adorable. Does she know you’re throwing a tantrum right now? Should I go get her for you?” Spencer sighed, looking out the window at Piper, who was laughing loudly as Derek tackled her while Emily lay on the ground.

“No,” he said reluctantly. He didn’t want to ruin her mood with his...grouchiness. “But does she really like throwing a ball around with Derek more than--”

“I do not need to hear the rest of that sentence,” David grumbled, flipping his pancakes before moving on to the eggs.

Kassidy tilted her head a little at Spencer’s downturned expression. She pouted out her lower lip, “You know she loves you, Spence. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. Did I say a lot?”

The corners of Spencer's mouth twitched a little as he tried to suppress a smile, swirling the remainder of his coffee around in the mug. He sighed, “Yes, but that doesn’t answer my question.”

Kassidy frowned, stepping back and circling the counter. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, resting the side of her face against his back. He stiffened a little, “Kass?”

“Hugging releases happy chemicals, like cuddling. I’m trying to make you happy, so I’m hugging you.”

Rossi smiled, glancing at the two of them, giving Spencer a look before turning back to his work. At this point, he was making breakfast on his own since Kassidy had abandoned her project with the fruit. 

Spencer finally allowed a (small) smile to grace his features. He started to say something, but she interrupted him, “Piper loves you. And I’m sure if she knew how much it would upset you, she wouldn’t have left bed so early. But she has a game today, and she’s been stressed, so she wanted to practice a little. That’s not a bad thing, you know.”

He exhaled heavily. He was kind of feeling like a brat, all things considered. But with some coffee in his system and the unintended pep-talk, he wasn’t… as grouchy. Still grumpy, but better. “I still don’t get why she’s so stressed about a baseball game,” Spencer voiced petulantly. “I hated baseball growing up.” 

Kassidy’s shoulders sagged. She knew Piper pretty well, but not much about her childhood. She herself didn’t understand sports that much, so she wasn’t the best to ask about “why” someone might like one sport more than another. She turned to Rossi for help, and the man sighed.

“Your high school baseball team bullied you,” Dave said, pausing his fruit slicing. “That’s why you have bad memories of it. But for her, she found a family in it, people who had her back. It’s not about the game inherently. It’s about the camaraderie.” Spencer pursed his lips, staring into his coffee.  _ Perhaps he did have a point _ . 

“What’s she like?” Kassidy asked curiously, the question directed mostly to Spencer. His brow furrowed, although Kassidy didn’t quite understand why. Rossi, on the other hand, had quite the opinion.

“She’s the best pitcher they’ve got. I mean, she’s no Babe Ruth, but she’s one of the few FBI players who can pitch MLB style.”

“MLB?” Kassidy asked, and Rossi sighed dramatically.

“Oh, my dear lamb. There’s so much I’ve yet to teach you. It’s Major League Baseball. It’s where a pitcher throws overhand rather than underhand.” 

“There’s a difference?” Kassidy whispered, glancing at Spencer. He shrugged as she released him from the hug. He hesitated before whispering back, “Thanks.”

“For what?” She asked, ignoring Rossi’s sigh and shake of his head, now that the two younger agents were ignoring him. “For the hug. For trying to cheer me up.”

“Did it work?” Kassidy asked, finally finishing up with the last of her fruit, organizing the little slices of bananas and strawberries on a plate. He smiled a little, “Yeah.”

The moment was ruined as Derek came running around the corner, the knees of his jeans stained green, some mud on his hands as he grabbed Spencer’s shoulders and positioned himself behind him, “Hide me, pretty boy!” He almost threw Spencer off the seat with how harshly he maneuvered him, Spencer yelping in surprise. 

Piper came around the corner right after him, her eyes narrowed dangerously, “Morgan! Don’t you dare use my boyfriend as a shield!” Spencer just nodded in agreement with her, “Derek-”

Rossi glared at them, “What-- this isn’t a funhouse! Take your rough-housing outside, you hooligans!”

Emily slid around the corner, laughing the whole way, “Oh, you’re going to get it now, Morgan! Sick ‘em, Piper!” Piper didn’t need to be told twice, almost lunging at Derek as he laughed and ducked around Spencer, circling the island counter and now hiding behind Kassidy, who just stood there like a deer in headlights. 

Piper probably would have lunged again if not for Spencer bravely wrapping his arms around her and whispering something unintelligible in her ear. She turned around and slapped his arm with her glove. “Really?” Spencer nodded with a smug grin, and Piper ripped off her glove before throwing it at Derek’s head with the same velocity as her baseball pitch and storming upstairs. 

“What did you tell her?” Emily asked, slightly disappointed that she didn’t get to watch Piper beat up Derek, and Spencer shrugged.

“Only thing I could think of to calm her down,” he said, not intending to disclose his secrets to the others as he followed her. Kassidy giggled like a schoolgirl, plucking the nearest grape and popping it in her mouth. She glanced over her shoulder at Derek, “And what on earth did you do to earn Piper’s wrath?”

“Nothing,” he counted as he looked over the food already made, reaching for a slice of grapefruit. She slapped his hand, “No, bad, Derek. Not until everything’s ready. And wash your hands. You’re filthy.” Emily snickered as Derek frowned. “What are you? My mom?”

“No, but I’ll act like it if you don’t go wash your hands.”

Rossi smirked, “And get the others when you’re done. Breakfast’s about ready.”

\--

They had breakfast like a little family; Derek trying to shovel as much french toast as possible into his mouth. Piper was trying to match his pace, though she was failing-- by a lot. Derek was teasing her about it, earning a smack on the arm from her. Penelope and Kassidy took their time, Kassidy complimenting Rossi on his breakfast skills. He tried not to look too pleased with himself. Spencer and Emily ate like normal human beings, in comparison.

Spencer felt Piper brush her lips on his cheek before she and Derek left together for training. He tried to ignore Kassidy’s little squeak of laughter, hiding a small smile as he bid his girlfriend and best friend goodbye.

The afternoon game also meant that everyone had some time to themselves. Spencer had decided to spend his morning burying his nose in multiple books, while Emily opted to spend it with her cat. Kassidy had meant to check out the new vintage bookstore that had opened on her block, but Penelope dragged her to her house instead to make generic cupcakes-- for whether they won or lost, because cupcakes were an excellent way to celebrate victory, and wallow in loss. The ‘parents club’ decided to spend the day with their families, everyone agreeing to meet up about ten minutes before the game started.

Eventually, they arrived to see the field divided between the CIA team with their blue and gold uniform and the FBI team with the black and grey uniform. By uniform, it was just a t-shirt and a snapback. Piper’s hair was tied into a ponytail that stuck out like a duck’s tail from the back of her hat. They were tossing pitches to each other, Piper slowing her movements down to nail the rhythm of her throw. She didn’t even pay attention to the team filtering into the audience, but Derek did.

Kassidy waved excitedly as Derek approached the fence, a broad grin on his face, “Hey guys,” he greeted. Penelope was seated on the front bleacher, a bright pink umbrella in her hands (that she kept twirling, keeping the sun out of her face), “Well, hello brown sugar,” she winked at him. He chuckled, glancing at Spencer. “Reid, when did you get a  _ Giants  _ hat?”

Spencer peered up from his book, his chin resting on his fist. He blinked, “Hmm? Oh.” He seemed to remember what he was wearing. A white polo, some jeans (Kassidy was sure she had never seen him in jeans before), and a baseball cap with the  _ San Francisco Giants _ logo on the front. He shrugged, “It’s Piper’s. I wanted to wear it to support the team.”

“We aren’t the  _ Giants _ ,” Derek teased. 

“You don’t really have merch, either,” Kassidy pointed out, finally sitting down beside Penelope. Derek smirked, “Alright, well, our game’s about to start. I hope to hear you lovely ladies,” he pointed at the two blondes in the front row, “screaming for our victory. Consider it good luck if you yell my name-”

“Derek!” Piper yelled from the middle of the field. “Stop flirting and toss the damn coin!”

He chuckled, clapping his hands together, “Just like that!” And before they could reply, he turned and hustled back towards Piper. “What would I do without you, vice-captain?”

“Pine for Penelope from a distance?” Piper retorted, pointing to the umpire.

“I don’t--”

“Your call,” the umpire announced, a coin firmly in his grasp.

“Heads,” Derek chose, winking at his team, who had gathered behind him. And they lost the toss. 

Spencer looked up for a moment, seeing his girlfriend stride up to the mound, ball in hand. She lined the glove to her chest, nodding to the catcher before winding up to an overarm slider.

_ Strike one! _

Spencer watched the slow smile spreading on Piper’s face. They were off to a good start. He watched her complete the same maneuver, the ball sliding right into the catcher’s glove.

_ Strike two! _

Piper’s eyes picked up the slightest hint of determination, then Donovan tapping his thigh quickly. She nodded subtly, exhaling slowly before winding up for a fastball just over where his bat should swing at.

_ Strike three! You’re out! _

Cheers resounded from the BAU, and Derek ran over from his position right behind her to squeeze her shoulder excitedly.  _ One down, two to go. _ Her next batter was a decent build and swung a few practice swings, giving Piper the perfect zones to throw in. She gripped the ball just like she’d been taught to, flinging it at the batter so it curved into Donovan’s glove with a satisfying smack.

_ Ball! _

The batter never swung, and Piper’s features contorted into confusion. She couldn’t trick this guy. Donovan threw the ball right back at her, perfectly setting it into her glove. She watched the catcher rest into his squat, tapping his thigh quickly.  _ This better work. _ Piper nodded, letting a slow breath out as she lined up the batter. In an instant, she wound up to fling the ball as hard and fast as she could, letting it fly much faster than he could swing. The lean batter almost fell over with how hard he had swung.  _ The bat was too heavy for him. _

_ Strike one! _

With that knowledge, Piper lined up two successive fastballs, both perfectly in his swinging range, both of them being caught by Donovan. She watched, smirking, as the batter shuffled off, passing his bat to the next guy.  _ Two down, one left. _ She could feel their backfielders grow restless. This guy was muscly, his eyes quick and bright. Piper narrowed her gaze and threw a slider, which the batter missed. 

_ Strike one! _

Spencer had returned to his book for just a second before he heard an uproar from his team, all of them yelling in outrage at the fielders who seemed to be struggling to get the ball to second base on time. The flash of blue hit the second base just before Milligan caught the ball in her glove. Piper exhaled, her hands rising to clutch the back of her head. She caught Milligan’s throw just as easily as she had recaptured Spencer’s attention. The tip of her tongue poked between her lips as the next batter took her spot. Piper lined up her glove, ready to throw when Donovan tapped his knee three times, and on the count of three, she twisted, flinging the ball to third base just as the blue and gold player had begun to rush out. The catcher lunged, hitting the player with the ball. 

_ Batter out! _

Piper sighed deeply, ripping off her glove as she started moving off the field. She was  _ so _ close to a no-hitter.

She sat on the bench with a huff, picking up a bottle of water and downing it within seconds. “You might choke if you don’t slow down,” Emily pointed out, making Piper cough. She looked over her shoulder to see Emily standing on the other side of the fence, her hands in her pockets. Piper made a face, “Did you come over here to pester me on how I drink my water, or did you need something?”

“No, I don’t need anything. Just wanted to say you’re doing a great job.”

There was a round of applause as one of Piper’s teammates took the bat. She looked at Emily, “I was trying to get them all out without any hits.”

“Only one hit, so that’s pretty impressive. And they didn’t get any points either, so you should be proud of that,” Emily watched as Smith (she thought that was his last name) swung and hit the ball, gaining a cheer from the crowd as he took off towards the first base. “Also, their pitcher just pitched for the first time, and your guy hit it, so again, you should be proud.” 

Piper shrugged, finishing her water before tossing it into the bin. She peered over at the rest of the BAU team, seeing that Kassidy had pulled Jack into her lap sometime during the first part of the game. Her blonde friend was smiling, making faces at Jack. Aaron was seated further up in the bleachers beside Will, but his eyes were glued to Kassidy. 

Piper smirked. Emily followed her gaze, laughing a little when she saw what she was looking at, “Yeah, Hotch and Jack showed up after you got the first guy out. Jack went right up to Kass and has been pestering her ever since.”

“She doesn’t look like she minds,” Piper mused, leaning back against the fence. She then glanced around to see Spencer, his nose buried back into his book. He was wearing her hat. She didn’t know if she should smile or be upset. 

Derek leaned against the doorway of the dugout, “Hey ladies,” he greeted, smirking at Emily before looking back to Piper, “how do you feel about batting today, Pipes? Milligan’s shoulder is sore, but she’ll swing if she has to.”

“Yeah, I got it. Tell her to use a cold compress,” Piper ordered him.

“Aye aye,” Derek smirked. “You’re up fifth.”

“Great,” Piper sighed. “Let’s just hope I don’t choke again.”

Emily poked her tongue out a little, “Go get ‘em, tiger.” Piper rolled her eyes with a small wave as Emily retreated to the bleachers, climbing them to be seated beside JJ. Piper found herself watching Spencer again, this time making eye contact with him when he glanced up at her. He smiled, waving. She waved back, a familiar feeling of warmth blossoming in her chest.  _ Maybe she wouldn’t be angry at him for borrowing her favorite hat, after all.  _

It wasn’t long before it was her turn at the plate. She knocked the bat against her heel a couple of times before getting into position, exhaling slowly. Smith was on third base, Donavon on second. If she could hit this ball far enough out, they could get two points-- maybe three if she hit a home run. She watched the pitcher as they wound up, their eyes trained on her. 

_ You got this, Pipes. _

The ball came right at her, a little too quickly, and she ducked backward.  _ Too many memories of bullets, of unsubs, of knives racing towards her- _

_ Strike one! _

Shit. She shook her shoulders out, retaking her stance. Now was not the time to choke. Not with the whole BAU there watching her. Not with Spencer watching her. Really, that should make her feel better, that he was there, but it kind of made it worse—more pressure to perform well. 

From behind her, she could hear Kassidy shouting, “You got this, Pipes!”

A ghost of a smile made its way on her face as she watched the pitcher prepare again. They were smirking at her.  _ Smug douche _ . Then the ball was coming right for her again, and instead of recoiling like every muscle in her body was screaming at her to do, she swung. The familiar smack of the ball hitting metal triggered her to start sprinting, watching the fielders running to the other corner of the diamond. She winked at the first baseman before dashing for the second, not stopping until she skidded onto the third base as the baseman threw the ball to the pitcher.  _ Stupid mistake. _

Glancing at the stands, Piper smiled when she saw that even Spencer had stood up, clapping his hands with a broad grin on his face. Kassidy was holding Jack's hands, the two jumping up and down and cheering. The only people who seemed upset were the other team, the pitcher sparing a glare her way before seeing Derek walk up at the plate. He was grinning at Piper while flipping his bat. She shook her head, chuckling at his smugness.

Derek tapped the base with his bat twice before raising it over his shoulder. Piper put her best foot forward in anticipation. If he hit the ball into the outfield, she’d be able to make it home. Another point for the FBI.

The pitcher was angry. He wound up his pitch, his eyes set on Derek’s cheerful expression. Piper blinked, and suddenly the ball was smacking right into Derek’s chest, knocking him back a couple of steps as he dropped the bat. The umpire was shouting something, but she didn’t hear. Someone was reaching for her arm, but she didn’t see, her eyes deadset on the CIA’s pitcher. 

He turned just in time to see her grab him by the collar of his shirt, her face mere inches from his, “What the hell was that!?” She shouted, feeling the smallest tremor coming from him as he tried to pull away from her. “You call yourself a pitcher? You just injured someone with your incompetence!”

_ “Piper!” _

“You want target practice? Go on a shooting range but don’t bring that bullshit here!” She spat as the pitcher gripped her wrists, trying to pry her away. “It was an accident,” they started to say, but she didn’t want to hear it, her eyes narrowing, “An accident? You hit him in the chest! You had to be aiming for that!”

_ “Piper!” _

Her vision had all but tunneled on this man, her grip tightening just enough that her knuckles were turning white. He finally started to fight back, anger lacing his words, “What are you going to do about it, agent?”

She had half a mind to sock him in the jaw, but a firm hand on her shoulder yanked that thought away. Along with a stern shout from Mulligan, “Bishop! Drop him!” She did so, releasing his collar, the man stumbling back a few steps. 

“It’s Doctor, asshole,” she cursed, returning to her position. Once her vision had cleared, she noticed Penelope helping Derek to his feet, worry laced in her features. Derek looked ready to puke, but never one to give up, he returned to home base. Not without a peck on the cheek from Penelope first, of course.  _ For good luck! _

Derek had been shot at, beaten, and hit by the corner of a car before (no, it was not Emily’s fault, as she often reminded people), but he was usually wearing kevlar or something. A baseball to the chest was going to leave a nasty bruise, maybe even a welt. He tried not to look too phased, readying himself at the plate with a determined smile. 

The pitcher tossed the ball back and forth between his hands, eyeing him up subtly. Probably wondering if it was worth the risk of trying something stupid again, peering at Piper from the corner of his eye. She made sure to give him a nasty look in return. 

Swallowing, the pitcher looked back to Derek. With a deep breath, he threw the ball underhand, aiming right for the catcher’s mitt. The satisfying ringing of the ball hitting Derek’s bat was Piper’s cue to run straight for home, her legs carrying her the whole way. She let out a whoop at the umpire's call, “Safe!”

Three points for the FBI, zero for the CIA. 

Four points, actually, as Derek slid into home right before the ball was tossed to the catcher, dust flying into the air. He managed to run the entire field, only looking mildly uncomfortable as Piper helped him up. “You’re so stupid,” she said. He grinned at her, “But we’re winning, Angel.”

“Don’t call me that.” But Piper couldn’t help the stupid smile on her face anyway as they slapped a low five before returning to the dugout. She tossed him a bottle of water, and Mulligan grinned as she passed Derek the cold compress before clapping his shoulder. They watched the rest of their team easily handle the pitcher’s underhand throws, sending them to six runs before the inning was up. 

Derek took his rightful place behind Piper as shortstop, Milligan on third base just near him. Piper cursed softly as the CIA pitcher took his place, fear in his eyes as he locked eyes with her. Donovan looked between them and shook his head violently. But Piper only smirked. She tossed the ball in her hand as she stepped back from the mound. She breathed in, lined up the glove to her chest. “Maybe don’t kill him?” Derek muttered from behind her, but she only answered him with a grin before flinging a curveball at the pitcher. He ducked backward, terrified it would hit him, only to have it curve into the catcher’s hand. The batter looked to the umpire, who shrugged with a smug smile.

_ Strike one! _

Piper caught the ball efficiently, allowing the batter to settle before throwing him a slider. He misjudged his angle, hitting the ball into foul territory. The outfielders didn’t bother suppressing their laughter as the batter made it half-way to first base, only to have the umpire call out.

_ Foul! _

He backtracked to the home base with a deep sigh.  _ Piper was going to destroy him. _ In reality, she just let out a breath, noticing Donovan’s fast tapping before winding up with a fastball, neatly settling in the catcher’s mitt.

_ Strike three! _

She waved as the batter slumped off to his dugout with a smile before catching the ball in her mitt again. The rest of the inning sailed smoothly, with Piper not allowing a lot of hits. Rossi was right, Kassidy realized. The CIA wasn’t used to playing with overhand throws. A few got past to second base, but thanks to Donovan’s well-timed warnings, Piper knew precisely when to get them out, either passing them to Mulligan or Derek to tap them out. 

By the end, the CIA managed two home runs with a well-timed swing at her fast-balls. It wasn’t until the ninth inning that things started to go wrong. Piper’s pitch had seemed to slip, letting three batters occupy each base. None of them had attempted to steal a base, and if she let another one slide, the CIA would catch up with their lead. 

Spencer was confused, replaying her pitches in his head. Derek had called a time-out, trying to give Piper a pep talk, but it wasn’t working as he caught her running a hand through her hair which had come loose some-time during the game. Derek had his hand on her shoulder, and Spencer chewed his lip. He could hear the jeers from the CIA, specifically the pitcher who Piper had physically threatened.

Aaron and Dave were fighting the urge to beat the crap out of them, but it wouldn’t look good to have a Unit Chief, and the co-founder of the BAU beat up CIA assholes. Kassidy had Jack in her lap again, her arms wrapped around his body. “What’s wrong with Piper?” He asked, looking up. Sometime during the game, Aaron had migrated to be sitting directly behind them, his elbows on his knees. He glanced at his son, “I dunno, buddy. It’s been a long game, so she’s probably getting tired.” Jack nodded, accepting that answer. 

Kassidy shot him a concerned glance; however, her thoughts racing with all the things Piper could be thinking about. What was upsetting her friend?

“She’s releasing too early,” Spencer realized. The entire team of agents looked at him, his book set aside.

“What are you talking about?” Rossi asked.

“When Piper spins the ball, air passes faster over one side of the ball, reducing air pressure. That's Bernoulli's principle,” he explained. “Now, when the ball gets dragged down, that's the Magnus effect.” JJ shook her head.

“Trust Spencer to turn baseball into math.”

“She needs to release a quarter of a second later,” Spencer persisted.

“Go and tell her that!” Kassidy announced, and Spencer shared a look with her. Her insistence forced him to ignore his better judgment and run into the diamond, sprinting towards Piper and Derek on the mound. Piper’s eyes widened as she saw her boyfriend running towards her.

“You...you need to--” he was out of breath from the short sprint -- “You need to release, sorry.” He exhaled deeply, resting his hands on his knees. “You need to release a quarter of a second later. Your fastball’s slowing down.” He was huffing still, his head hanging down a little. Derek arched his eyebrows at him, an amused smile playing on his mouth.

“Kid, you good?”

“Your rhythm’s off by a quarter second,” he insisted, looking back up at Piper, “You gotta release-” The umpire called it off, sending him back into the benches. He frowned, but didn’t want to get Piper or Derek in trouble, so he did as he was told. Piper watched him leave before staring at the seams of the ball. How was she supposed to calculate a quarter of a second? Derek was scared that Spencer had completely shaken her rhythm with his two cents on the matter. 

Spencer retook his seat beside Penelope, who elbowed him in the side, “Jeez 187, you look like you ran a marathon,” she teased. He exhaled through his mouth, dropping his elbows on his knees, “I don’t usually…” he paused, licking his bottom lip, “work out.” 

“Clearly,” JJ arched an eyebrow, grinning. Kassidy giggled, reaching over Penelope and patting Spencer on the shoulder, “It’s okay Spence, I don’t either.” He managed a smile, giving her a look, “I know that was supposed to make me feel better, so thank you. But know that it was a poor attempt.” She grinned, “I know, sorry.”

Aaron watched her return to her position of holding Jack, his eyes stuck on her while everyone else went back to watching the game.

Piper breathed in deeply, staring at the batter. _ A quarter second later _ . She didn’t have time to reset her rhythm, not with the batter staring at her. She rolled her shoulder, stepping back from the mound. She needed to get the math out of her head. Closing her eyes, she exhaled, using the rhythm from  _ Dance, Dance _ to get back into the right headspace. She murmured the lyrics under her breath as she lined up the glove. Winding up, she flung the ball a beat later, and it flew directly into Donovan’s mitt.

_ Strike one! _

She could do this. Derek realized what she was doing and took another time out before running over to the dugout, specifically to Penelope. Piper watched confusedly, sharing a look with Mulligan. “He isn’t flirting with her, is he?” She let out a sharp laugh, especially when Derek came sprinting back to his position and when Penelope stood up with a speaker. Of course, she had one. Piper laughed as  _ Dance, Dance  _ began playing out loud, confusing the hell out of everyone else.

Kassidy had grabbed both Henry and Jack’s hands, dancing with them to the music. Penelope was dancing too-- the best she could while holding the speaker.

Piper swore she noticed the outfielders dancing slightly to the music. “Focus up!” Derek called out, clapping his hands. Piper ignored everything else, focusing on the batter. She used the song’s beat to settle into a comfortable rhythm, flinging another fastball at him. But the music seemed to have thrown him off his game as he swung too early.

_ Strike two! _

Piper watched him try to complain to the umpire, but he only shrugged. What an audience member did with their tech did not correlate with him. The fielders had started to sing along involuntarily, along with the extra players who were watching from the dugout. Penelope was screaming the lyrics aloud. Piper’s smirk never faltered, lining up her glove before throwing another fastball. This time, the batter swung too late.

_ Strike three! Batter out! _

Derek cheered, tackling Piper in a tight embrace as the inning ended, finishing the game. They ended with six runs to a measly two from the CIA. Piper laughed as Derek lifted her into the air, spinning her around with a shout, “You did it!” She smacked his shoulders, urging him to set her back down. 

When he did, she stumbled slightly, saved by Spencer’s grip on her. She braced herself on him, mirroring his stupid grin until he clasped her face to press his lips to hers. Her hands tugged on his belt, pulling him closer. He didn’t care about the smell of sweat mingling with her fruity perfume, only how she felt pressed against him. They heard the whooping of the baseball team, and Spencer grinned against her lips as she made an obscene gesture behind her back. Spencer pulled away only to rest his forehead on hers. “I knew you’d understand,” he said with a smile. She smacked his chest lightly, her face a bright shade of red. He kissed her forehead, “And using the song? That was genius. You’re a genius.”

“Piper!” She glanced over to see Kassidy running up to her, almost colliding with her and Spencer as she wrapped her arms around them both, “You did great! Because you’re the best!” 

“What about me?” Derek attempted to look hurt before Kassidy turned her attention to him, hugging him next, “You did great too!” She noticed his wince when her head rested on his chest, and she pulled back, “Oh no- your chest. Should you go to the doctor about that--”

“Sunshine, chill. It’s not the first time I’ve been hit with a baseball, and it won’t be the last. It’s just bruised, so I’ll need to take it easy on the loving, okay?” He ruffled her hair a little, making her whine as she tried to fix it, slapping his hand away with a laugh. 

Spencer leaned down and whispered to Piper, his lips ghosting over the shell of her ear, “Now that the game’s over, can we go home? I’m exhausted.” She snickered, her hands resting on his chest, “Yes, we can go home. It’s been a long weekend, and I can’t wait to take a nap.” The look of triumph in his eyes was hard to ignore. 

“What are you two doing?” Aaron asked, approaching with Jack resting on his shoulders. Spencer looked up at him, “We’re going home. And taking a nap.” Aaron nodded, smiling, “That sounds like a good plan. It’s been a busy weekend.”

“Aaaaawwww,” Penelope moped, frowning as she joined them, “I was hoping we could do some shopping--”

“No,” Piper and Spencer cried out simultaneously. Social activities took effort, and neither of them were about to go anywhere that didn’t involve sheets and pillows.

“Penny,” Kassidy breathed, smiling, “We’re all tired. Can we go shopping next weekend?”

Penelope pretended to think about it for a moment before smiling, “Alright, alright. You know, I should probably get some errands done anyways.” Derek stood beside her, his arm going around her shoulder, “Yeah, I have some stuff to do before work on Monday. See you all later, I suppose.”

With that, Spencer and Piper couldn’t get away from the field fast enough, the couple racing towards Piper’s bike. Kassidy was laughing, her hand covering her mouth, “I thought Spencer said he didn’t work out?”

Aaron chuckled, shaking his head. Jack waved at Kassidy, “Bye-bye, Kass!” She waved back as she gathered her bag, “Bye-bye, Jack.” She met Aaron’s eyes for a brief moment, smiling, “See you on Monday, Hotch.”

He nodded, watching her go with Penelope and Derek towards their vehicles. Jack leaned down a little, looking at his dad, “Daddy?”

“Yes, buddy?” Aaron adjusted him on his shoulders as he started walking towards their sedan. “I really like everyone,” Jack mused, his body bouncing a little with his father’s steps. Aaron hummed in acknowledgment. “Piper’s really cool. She has the coolest motorcycle I’ve ever seen. And Spencer is really smart and nice. Derek is funny,” he was listing off every member of the team as they approached the car, Aaron lifting him and setting him on his feet before opening the back door. He watched Jack crawl into his car seat, who was still talking, “And Kass is super nice. She dances with me, and talks to me, and she comes to all my games. And I really like her, dad.” 

Aaron clicked the seatbelt into place, smiling at Jack. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Jack smiled, “I do.”

Aaron hummed, pressing a kiss to his son’s hair before pulling away. “I like her too, buddy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!   
> Don't worry, this isn't the last of the Kassidy/Piper crossover AU. This is just the end of a hectic and chaotic weekend <3  
> There's another series already in the works right now, involving a certain stern unit chief and a bubbly agent >w>
> 
> Love you guys!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!  
> You can find me on tumblr: @SSA-SarahSunshine  
> Or Rucha (Piper's creator): @DrAlexReid
> 
> Find our other Piper/Kassidy crossovers on AO3.


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